Texas will soon be home to 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 site with 43 new hotel units and 18 residential units over 60 acres without the need for cranes or scaffolding typically associated with construction.
What will the world’s first 3D printed hotel look like?
Images from the site show a giant 3D printer measuring 46.5 feet wide and 15.5 feet tall methodically layering sand-colored material onto a foundation to form a gracefully curved wall . The impressive machine, known as Vulcan, was developed by ICON, a Texas-based company specializing in 3D printing and robotics.
The first two single-story, 12-foot-tall walls under construction are three-bedroom residential spaces and one hotel unit.
Concept images of the hotel’s interior reveal cream-colored curved walls and rounded wood surfaces decorated in hues that reflect the Lone Star State’s surrounding desert landscape.
In addition to the hotel, El Cosmico will include several 3D-printed homes, currently priced at more than $2.29 million. According to ReutersHotel rates range from $200 to $450 per night. The walls of these structures are made from ICON’s proprietary low-carbon concrete “Lavacrete,” which has 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. Partners on the project include Austin-based 3D printing company ICON and architect Bjarke Ingels Group. “Most hotels are enclosed within four walls and often end up building the same units over and over again, with fewer constraints and less liquidity,” Lambert told Reuters. I’ve never been able to build anything before, just curves, domes, and parabolas. It’s a crazy way to build.”
Bjarke Ingels, founder of BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group said: “By testing the geometric boundaries of ICON’s 3D printed structures, we imagined fluid, curvaceous structures that enjoy the freedom of form in the empty desert. The sands of the terroir; By using earth and color as a printing medium, the circular shape appears to emerge from the very land it stands on.”
ICON CEO Jason Ballard added: This will be the most ambitious architecture we’ve ever worked on. ”
In the future, El Cosmico’s expansion could include affordable housing for hotel staff. Lambert told the Big Bend Sentinel that these plans are “in the background” but are still in the works.
Construction of the new hotel is expected to be completed in 2026, and the current location will remain open until 2025.
This isn’t the first time 3D printers have been used for innovation. Last month, the European Space Agency used a 3D printer to manufacture the first-ever metal parts in space, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) discovered a new 3D printing method that can produce furniture in just minutes.
ReadWrite has reached out to El Cosmico for comment.
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