Colorado looks to become the epicenter of 3D-printed houses with a new partnership between the company that first created the nation’s first such home and the City of Greeley.

And with Colorado having one of the highest shortages in affordable housing in the country, state officials welcomed the help.

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“Colorado faces a housing supply shortage and we need action,” Gov. Jared Polis said on Friday.

“Solving our housing crisis is all hands on deck and innovative solutions like Alquist 3D and communities like Greeley are crucial to our success in lowering construction costs for housing and infrastructure,” he added.

The construction company — along with the City of Greeley and the Global Business Development Division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade — announced Friday at the Aims Community College that Alquist 3D will be moving its headquarters from Iowa City to Greeley.

Alquist 3D, founded in 2020, uses a colossal 3D printer to build concrete-based homes. The printer creates layers on top of layers of material, eventually building full walls. These can range from single-family units to entire structures across a range of prices and sizes. They created the first owner-occupied printed home in 2021 using patented material.

In a press release, the company said its objective is to “focus on creating lower-cost housing and infrastructure and serving economically distressed and underserved communities.”

Alquist is already partnering with Greeley-Weld Habitat for Humanity to build 22 single-family homes, 154 duplexes and about 315 multi-family units for the affordable housing project called “Hope Springs.”

The new Greeley headquarters will feature a showroom and a production facility. 

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The Colorado Economic Development Commission approved up to roughly $1.1 million in state income tax credits over an eight-year period and up to $335,000 in cash incentives over five years to attract Alquist to Colorado, according to the press release.

These incentives are based on job creation and salary requirements. 

The company said it would create 79 new jobs with an average annual wage of $73,987.

The City of Greeley also provided an incentive package of $2.85 million.

“There is nowhere else on the planet where so much is happening all in one place to move structural 3D printing forward,” Alquist Founder and Chairman Zachary Mannheimer said. “We’re excited to have a home where all the pieces of the puzzle to commercialize this industry are coming together.

The company’s first project in Greeley will be to create curb systems with integrated drainage for the city. 

Alquist is also teaming up with Aims Community College to incorporate its state-of-the-art technology into its construction management, computer aided drafting and industrial technology programs. Alquist will provide technology to help teach students how to use new 3D construction equipment, build and program the robots that work on it, and design printed houses.

“Aims is honored and excited to partner with Alquist to provide cutting-edge job training in northern Colorado. This higher education/industry collaboration is a prime example of the future of education innovation and training together to meet rapidly evolving workforce needs,” said Dr. Leah L. Bornstein, CEO and president of Aims Community College.

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Both Iowa and Virginia were considered for Alquist’s new headquarters, but the company ultimately decided on the Colorado city because of its “commitment to developing affordable and attainable housing and workforce development programs,” the company said.