Zachary Mannheimer 

Zachary Mannheimer grew up in southeastern PA. After receiving degrees from Muhlenberg College in Theater and Philosophy he did what every theater major does – he moved to New York City. Zack spent nearly a decade in Brooklyn, then on the eve of his 30th birthday, he embarked on a road trip that would change his life.

Zack’s carefully plotted trip would take him on a twenty-two city search for a new place to call home. It was Zack’s goal to build a new community, one that generated art, culture, kinship, and economic development. He settled in Des Moines, IA, and soon had an entire community of artists, volunteers, and change-makers working alongside him to bring The Des Moines Social Club to life.

In 2020, Zack and his partners expanded their work and launched Atlas Community Studios, a creative placemaking firm currently working on community development projects across more than 25 states. In his cross-country work with Atlas, Zack realized the number one thing holding communities back from economic and cultural prosperity – the lack of quality, affordable housing. He began researching the best way to solve America’s housing crisis.

Zack swiftly founded Alquist 3D and set about printing homes in underserved American communities. The first completed home, in Williamsburg, VA, was built in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity. That home stands as the first 3D-printed, owner-occupied, home in America.

Zack speaks insightfully about bringing together diverse groups to create prosperous community development. He is passionate about this new home-building technology and is excited to share the message with builders, developers, community organizers, and potential homeowners.

Zack is a board member with Iowa Public Radio and the Iowa Rural Development Council. He is a contributor for The Hill, and his work has been featured on CNN, NBC News, CBS Evening News, as well as in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, Architecture Digest, and The Atlantic, among others. Zack lives with his family in Iowa City. He loves exploring rural communities, discovering new food, drink, and friends along the way, and he has an (admittedly) unhealthy obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles.