By Reeturaj - Sep 26, 2024
El Cosmico in Marfa is expanding by building 43 new 3D-printed hotel units and 18 residential homes, making it the world's first 3D-printed hotel. The project with partners ICON and Bjarke Ingels Group should be completed by 2026, offering rooms priced between $200 and $450 per night. The technology allows for creative designs including curves and domes, with buildings constructed using ICON's special Lavacrete material. The transition to 3D printing could potentially impact traditional construction methods and labor jobs in the long term.
3D-printing technology via Medium
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El Cosmico, an existing hotel and campground on the outskirts of Marfa is expanding by building 43 new hotel units and 18 residential homes on 40 acres, all constructed with a 3D printer. El Cosmico owner Liz Lambert says it will be the world's first 3D-printed hotel. The partners behind the project are Austin, Texas-based 3D printing company ICON and architects Bjarke Ingels Group.
The expansion of El Cosmico is scheduled to be completed by 2026. The hotel units will be priced between $200 and $450 per night.
Lambert explained that the technology allows for unprecedented creativity in hotel design. He mentioned that most hotels are typically built within four walls, resulting in repetition of the same unit design. With this new technology, Lambert expressed his excitement about being able to build with minimal constraints and more fluidity, allowing for the incorporation of curves, domes, and parabolas in the design. Additionally, he noted that the technology enables the inclusion of architectural features that would have been too expensive to replicate on a large scale using traditional construction methods.
The first two units under construction consist of a single-story, 12-foot high walls. One unit is a three-bedroom residential space and the other is a single-room hotel unit. The walls, which are 46.5 feet wide, are being built using ICON’s Vulcan, a 3D printer that stands 15.5 feet tall and weighs 4.75 tons. This printer uses a special cement-based material called Lavacrete as its "ink", which is a proprietary mixture designed for strength, affordability, and printability. According to ICON CEO and founder Jason Ballard, workers adjust and blend the ingredients based on weather conditions.
Ballard explained that the magic occurs in the admixtures, which enable us to keep printing. He added that humidity, temperature, and irradiance can impact the material's behavior and even its final color. ICON is also developing a 3D-printed neighborhood of homes near Austin.
In the long term, 3D-printed construction could replace some skilled labor jobs, according to Milad Bazli, a science and technology lecturer at Charles Darwin University in Australia.
Bazli expressed his belief that the transition to 3D printing will pose challenges from a social perspective and in terms of its impact on the economy, particularly with regard to local employment in remote areas.
