World’s first 3D-printed hotel under construction in Texas

Texas will soon be the site of the world’s first 3D-printed hotel, El Cosmico, which has just begun construction in the desert north of Marfa. The existing hotel is expanding its premises with 43 new hotel units and 18 residential homes over 60 acres, without the need of cranes and scaffolding that typically come with construction.

What does the world’s first 3D-printed hotel look like?

Images of the site reveal an enormous 3D printer measuring 46.5 feet wide and 15.5 feet tall, methodically layering sand-colored material onto the foundations to form graceful, curving walls. The impressive machine, known as the Vulcan, was developed by ICON, a Texas-based company specializing in 3D printing and robotics.

The single-story, 12-foot high walls of the first two units under construction are a three-bedroom residential space and single-room hotel unit.

The new hotel and homes feature organic curves and domes, a primordial architectural language that can only be achieved by 3D-printing. Credit: ICON

Concept images of the hotel’s interior reveal cream-colored, curvilinear walls and rounded wooden surfaces adorned with hues that echo the surrounding desert landscape in the Lone Star State.

Alongside the hotel, El Cosmico will feature several 3D-printed homes, currently priced at over $2.29 million. According to Reuters, hotel units will range from $200 to $450 per night. The walls of these structures are constructed from “lavacrete,” a proprietary low-carbon concrete developed by ICON, boasting a compressive strength of 2,000 to 3,500 pounds per square inch.

‘Ambitious architecture’

El Cosmico owner Liz Lambert says the technology allows for unprecedented creativity. The partners behind the project include Austin-based 3D printing company ICON and architects Bjarke Ingels Group. Speaking to Reuters, Lambert stated: “Most hotels are contained within four walls and a lot of times you are building the same unit over and over and over again. I have never been able to build with such little constraint and such fluidity … just the curves, and the domes, and the parabolas. It is a crazy way to build.”

BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group founder, Bjarke Ingels, said: “By testing the geometric boundaries of ICON’s 3D-printed construction, we have imagined fluid, curvilinear structures that enjoy the freedom of form in the empty desert. By using the sand, soils, and colors of the terroir as our print medium, the circular forms seem to emerge from the very land on which they stand.”

ICON CEO Jason Ballard added: “The breadth of the project, from hospitality and elevated housing to affordable housing, is astounding. This will be the most ambitious architecture that we have yet undertaken.”

Looking ahead, the expansion of El Cosmico might include affordable housing for hotel staff. Lambert informed the Big Bend Sentinel that while these plans are “in the background,” they are still progressing.

Construction on the new hotel is expected to be completed in 2026, with the current location remaining open until 2025.

It’s not the first time 3D printers have been used to innovate. Last month, the European Space Agency produced its first-ever metal part in space using its 3D printer, while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found a new method of 3D printing that can produce furniture in mere minutes.

ReadWrite has reached out to El Cosmico for comment.

Featured image: ICON

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