Merritt considering 3D printer to help build homes for evacuees
Following November’s catastrophic flooding events, roughly 600 Merritt residents still haven't returned to their homes, but a 3D printer may speed up the process.
Greg Solecki, the Merritt’s recovery manager, said the city may partner with UBC to purchase a 3D printer that is most cost-effective and fastest way to build homes than the typical methods of construction.
In November, the Coldwater River breached its banks, damaging homes and causing the entire city to evacuate as it damaged the water treatment plant.
About 250 homes, with 600 residents remaining under an evacuation order as damage by the floods means their homes are currently inhabitable.
The first step is raising roughly $700,000 to purchase a $1.3 million 3D printer. The cost will be matched by UBC as they have all the engineering and would like to perform case studies, Solecki said. There is no current timeframe on when residents will be able to return home as global supply chain issues, wildfires and the pandemic have strained available resources.
READ MORE: Merritt to use massive 170 m blow-up dam to temporarily move river back after flood
The city considered a variety of different types of homes including trailers, mobile homes and RVs, and discovered 3D printing is cost-effective and quick.
“This is something that can be done and realistically started in April,” he said. The city is hoping to find grants, charities and donations to get half of the printer’s cost.
“Even if we get a portion of that, I think we’d be able to show partners like UBC and maybe other investors or the province or federal government that it’s viable... and then they may be able to provide some more assistance with us as far as the funding goes,” he said.
A 3D printer could create a one or two-bedroom home, roughly 650 square feet, in three days, he said. The printer uses a concrete-type mortar to establish the exterior of the home so it provides a good start for people to get into the homes. The homes would meet all provincial building codes, he said.
The first problem is raising the funds for the printer and then determining how many can be printed and how they would be sold, he said. Once they get funds, then the city will determine the next steps.
“It would be a case study, not only awareness to Merritt, but it would be a case study not just for the homes going up, but in emergency management,” he said. He didn’t have the cost of the materials for a 3D-printed home.
They’re hoping the Hell or High Water fundraiser across the city will raise significant funds for the effort, Solecki said.
Hell or High Water is an all out 12-hour online fundraiser consisting of a live streaming entertainment telethon and live concert from the Clarke Foundation Theatre in Mission to raise funds for people of the fire and flood ravaged communities of Merritt, Lytton, Princeton, Abbotsford and the surrounding First Nation communities. It is set to take place March 13.
“Our biggest priority is getting people back to Merritt and into homes and this 3D-printed option is looking like the most viable one right now,” Solecki said.
READ MORE: 3D printing's new challenge: Solving the US housing shortage
With funding from the province, security guards are also patrolling evacuated homes as of March 4 with the Merritt RCMP reporting a rise in the break and enters, especially in the currently evacuated Phase 4 portion of the city.
“It’s a safety issue as well, we don’t want people taking unnecessary risks throughout some of the neighbourhoods with all the debris in it,” Solecki said.
Once people are able to return home, that will help deter crime, he said.
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