Newport News Shipbuilding joined elected officials and community leaders last week to break ground on two houses that shipyard volunteers will build in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg while employing new technology.

The groundbreaking marks the first time NNS has sponsored two homes at once, and the 20th and 21st sponsored by the shipyard since 2002. It is also the first time the homes sponsored by NNS are being built partly by Habitat for Humanity building partner Alquist’s 3D printing technology. These will be the first Habitat for Humanity homes built in the city of Newport News using 3D printing technology and are just the third and fourth Habitat for Humanity homes in the country being built using 3D printing technology. BayPort Credit Union is also a partner on the 20th home.

In keeping with shipbuilding heritage, NNS designates a “sponsor” for each house. NNS Shipbuilding President Jennifer Boykin is the sponsor of the 20th home, while Dave Bolcar, vice president of Engineering and Design, is the sponsor of the 21st home.

“Where we see vacant lots now, there will be not one but two high-quality houses, demonstrating the craftsmanship for which Habitat for Humanity and our shipbuilders are known. These houses will energize this neighborhood like our efforts to revitalize the entire Southeast community,” Boykin said. “Building two houses at once allows volunteers to take knowledge learned from the first and apply it to the second. We experience this momentum when we build our nation’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines in series production, applying lessons learned to continuously improve.”

Using the 3D printing technology, which NNS engineers will lend expertise to during construction, and building two homes at once will leverage efficiencies and allow the homes to be built faster.

The three-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot homes are being built in the Southeast community of Newport News on land donated by the Newport News Redevelopment & Housing Authority.

The groundbreaking also featured remarks from LaShand Coleman, a current Habitat for Humanity homeowner and NNS shipbuilder. Coleman owns the 13th house that NNS sponsored and shipbuilders helped build.

The family selection process for homes 20 and 21 is underway. The homebuyers will be required to maintain steady employment, good credit and provide 400 hours of “sweat equity” to help build their homes. Once construction is complete, the families will purchase the homes from Habitat with a 30-year, no-interest mortgage, which illustrates Habitat’s objective to give families a “hand up” rather than a “hand out.” The payments will be cycled back into the community so more homes can be built for qualifying families.