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Woodbury to begin printing in collaboration with Emergent 3D.

A groundbreaking new 3D printed home will be constructed on the grounds of Woodbury University in a collaboration between Woodbury University and an amazing group of industry professionals and local government. Woodbury University’s School of Architecture is an awardee of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon and began working on the project in January of last year.

The 3D printed home designed by Woodbury’s Architecture students will utilize cutting-edge construction robotics to create a beautiful, dignifying, resilient and adaptable home. The Woodbury University home will be the first, permitted, 3D printed micro unit (~425 s.f.) in L.A., constructed as a high-performance dwelling that is sustainably designed to address climate change, housing affordability and homelessness. The 3D printing services are being provided by Emergent 3D. After successfully completing California’s first permitted 3D printed homes in Redding, CA., Emergent 3D was asked to lend their expertise and experience to the Woodbury project. “We are honored to be a part of this groundbreaking effort with Woodbury University in Southern California”, says Matthew Gile of Emergent 3D. “We look forward to bringing our trained staff to 3D print this groundbreaking design.” The home will be constructed on Woodbury University property.

The students in the School of Architecture are the primary designers, guided by Kishani De Silva and other Woodbury University faculty, Nous Engineering (Structural Engineering), Breen Engineering (MEP/Civil) and a host of thought partners who have provided their subject matter expertise, along with our sponsors DWP, McCarthy and others.

“We would not have been able to get this far without our collaborating partners, our sponsors, and the support from the City of Los Angeles—it has taken a village. While this is by no means the only remedy for the housing crisis, we offer one possible solution to build faster and smarter to address climate change and housing affordability,” says Kishani De Silva.

The 3D printing begins February 8th with project completion set for March 2023.

We are proud to sponsor this milestone project as Woodbury University undertakes the construction of the first 3D-printed home in Los Angeles,” said Nancy Sutley, LADWP’s Senior Assistant General Manager of External and Regulatory Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer. “This project aligns with LADWP’s own priorities of addressing climate change and serves as a reminder of what can be accomplished when innovation and technology come together.”

On September 27th, the Woodbury School of Architecture held a celebration marking the groundbreaking of their Solar Decathlon project: a 425-square-foot student residence that will be the first 3D-printed building in Southern California! The event provided an opportunity for the Woodbury community to learn more about this extraordinary student effort, which supports and advances the mission and vision of the university.

Last night, the students from Woodbury University School of Architecture’s Solar Futures team unveiled their entry for the 2023 Solar Decathlon® Build Challenge. Their concept, a modular, scalable, 3D-printed, low-carbon, micro-living housing structure powered by renewable energy sources, addresses two of the most vexing crises facing humans today: housing insecurity and climate change.

The team is one of just 14 universities in the world to be selected as finalists and intends to break ground on Woodbury’s campus this fall.

Woodbury University Named Finalist in 2023 Solar Decathlon® Build Challenge

Awarded $50K in prize money, BArch team is poised to break ground on innovative energy-efficient housing project.

BURBANK, CA (June 28, 2022) — The 2023 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon — a worldwide collegiate competition to design and build zero-energy buildings — is in full swing, and Woodbury University is thrilled to have earned a coveted position as a Build Challenge finalist.

The winning Woodbury concept? A 3D-printed, low-carbon, micro-living campus housing structure that is powered by renewable energy sources and addresses two of the most vexing crises facing humans across the globe today: housing insecurity and global warming. Not only does their entry propose a viable and affordable housing solution, but it does so by incorporating features that meet DOE requirements and achieve net-positive energy status.

Competing head to head with collegiate teams from 23 colleges across four countries, the Woodbury team participated virtually to showcase its designs at the Solar Decathlon Competition Event held April 22–24 at the Golden, CO-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

And now the Woodbury cohort — comprised of both students and professors from university’s nationally ranked Architecture School — has become one of 14 finalist teams that earned $50,000 in prize funding to take their entry project to fruition. Next up? Preparing to break ground on construction this Fall in preparation for a February 2023 finished project reveal. With the price tag for completing the project somewhere in the neighborhood of $150,000, the team will need to raise the remaining funds through sustainability-minded partners and donors.

While this competition entry is an initiative of Woodbury’s BArch program, it also demonstrates the principle that guides all programs across the Architecture school — meaningful designs for the built environment — and the value the university, as a whole, places on STEM initiatives, environmental stewardship, and interdisciplinary education.

Win or lose in the next round of competition, the Woodbury team hopes to expand knowledge and create awareness about the challenges, technologies, and solutions needed to bring us all closer to a sustainable housing solution — and that includes bringing the right people to the table, including designers, engineers, financial supporters, partners, and government officials.

“While labeled a competition, this is really a collaboration,” says Kishani De Silva, Faculty Lead and Chair of Woodbury’s Construction Management program. “What we learn here will move us closer to the goal that we all know is so desperately needed. The ‘winning’ solution will illuminate possibilities and, with the right public support, influence decision-makers.”

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ABOUT SOLAR DECATHLON

Since its 2002 inception, the Solar Decathlon has challenged 40,000 college students worldwide to leverage cutting-edge technologies to design and construct zero-energy buildings — and to consider the clean energy industry as a viable career path. The competition aims to help tackle climate challenges by nurturing a workforce that is well equipped to design, construct, and retrofit a high-performance, low-carbon building stock and to deliver an equitable clean energy future. View all of this year’s winners, and learn more at solardecathlon.gov.

ABOUT WOODBURY UNIVERSITY

Woodbury University is one of the country’s leading creative universities, with nationally ranked programs in its School of Architecture and School of Media, Culture, & Design. The university also boasts unparalleled academic offerings in its School of Business and College of Liberal Arts. Woodbury’s Southern California location and strong relationships with the country’s most innovative companies provide unique career opportunities for students. Woodbury is recognized as an Hispanic Serving Institution and has been named a College of Distinction for 7 years running. The university has earned all major accreditations – AACSB, ACBSP, CIDA, NAAB, NASAD and WSCUC.

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