We still live in a world of wonders.

Next year, developers will break ground in Austin on a new neighborhood made up of 100 3-D printed homes.

Lennar, the nation’s largest homebuilder, and Texas-based 3-D printing specialist ICON are the two companies behind the project. ICOn will use five 46-foot-wide 3-D printers to create the structures, will be made from a concrete mix called Lavacrete. The homes will be assemble don site using advanced robotic technology, with doors, windows and other details added by Lennar workers. The buildings will be solar powered.

It will take just a week to build one of these houses. ICON says it can create a home as large as 3,000 square feet using current technology.

The developers says 3-D will be faster and ess expensive to build since there is little construction waste and less manual labor required. They also claim the homes will be more durable and energy efficient.

The potential here is staggering. Housing stock can’t keep up with demand and prices are skyrocketing, often pricing first-time buyers out of the market. Not only could this technology help solve those problems, it could also be used for very basic shelter to house the homeless across the nation, likely at a lower overall cost than current programs.

It’s not uncommon to see some big tech breakthrough and wonder what the real-world application would be. With 3-D printed homes it’s obvious. This technology will change lives for the better.