A Bangor-area nonprofit is eyeing Brewer to hold the state’s first neighborhood of completely recyclable 3D-printed homes.
Penquis, a local social services organization, is considering a site in North Brewer to hold up to nine 3D-printed homes created by the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center, according to Michele Daniels, chairperson of the Brewer City Council. Daniels was not certain of the site’s exact location.
Renae Muscatell, a spokesperson for Penquis, confirmed a property in Brewer is being evaluated as a potential site for the project, but “several key steps still need to occur before any decisions are finalized.”
With a site under consideration, Penquis will soon begin refining the design of the 3D-printed home with an architectural firm to ensure it meets all local code requirements, Muscatell said. From there, the site will be prepared and the homes will be printed in pieces and assembled on-site.
“If everything proceeds smoothly, that work could begin as early as the next build season, but it’s also possible that, given the regulatory requirements involved, it could take longer,” Muscatell said.
The homes have been heralded as an innovative way to quickly build more affordable housing and help the state meet its goal of adding at least 76,400 new units to make up for historic underproduction and expected population growth, a housing study completed last year found.
The homes are built with a large 3D printer and made of locally-sourced wood fiber and bio‑resins. Aside from being fully recyclable, the homes are intended to dodge challenges like labor shortages and high material costs that have hampered the production of new, affordable housing in Maine.
Samantha Warren, a spokesperson for the UMaine system, said the recent rash of layoffs in the Advanced Structures and Composites Center will not delay this project.
The UMaine system received another $4 million in federal funding in fiscal year 2024, administered by the Department of Energy, to help the commercialization of the 3D-printed home model, according to Warren.
However, Warren said UMaine is “still negotiating the terms and conditions” of that $4 million award with the Department of Energy, “as a result of the transition in the federal government.”
President Donald Trump’s administration has cut, paused or threatened nearly $50 million in funding to Maine universities in the wake of Trump’s verbal clash with Gov. Janet Mills of Maine policies that allow transgender girls to compete with girls in school sports.
“While this has delayed [the Advanced Structures and Composites Center’s] research from moving forward, we are optimistic that the award will be finalized soon, allowing UMaine’s cutting-edge innovation to deliver solutions to the critical shortage of affordable homes here in Maine and well beyond,” Warren said.
Once complete, Penquis intends to welcome people who are at risk of becoming or are currently homeless into the houses.
Penquis previously received more than $3 million in funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, MaineHousing, the Key Bank Foundation and NeighborWorks America for the housing development.
The university unveiled the first model of the homes in late 2022. The center planned to monitor the home to see how it fared in different weather and temperature conditions using a series of sensors.
The model the center created was a simple one-bedroom, one-bathroom with a combined kitchen and living room and totaled about 600 square feet. It was designed to meet the needs for low-income, affordable housing outlined by Maine State Housing Authority.
Brewer city councilors toured the model home in early May and Daniels said it was “beautifully designed and spacious for a one-bedroom.”