A crane-sized 3D printer is constructing the world’s first 3D-printed hotel in Texas, US. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, El Cosmico, a hotel and campground near Marfa, Texas, is undergoing a unique expansion. Instead of traditional construction, a massive 3D printer is building 43 new hotel units and 18 residential homes across 40 acres.A video shared by Reuters on YouTube shows how the world’s first 3D-printed hotel is being constructed.
Take a look at the video here:
World’s first 3D-printed hotel takes shape in Texas | REUTERS
In the video, El Cosmico owner Liz Lambert says that this is the world’s first 3D-printed hotel. The partners behind the project – US-based 3D printing company ICON and architects Bjarke Ingels Group – can also be seen explaining the project.
How this hotel is different from the conventional ones
“This technology allows for unprecedented creativity,” Lambert said highlighting the ability to easily incorporate unique features that would be expensive with conventional building methods.
She said: “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’ve never been able to build with such little constraint and such fluidity … just the curves, and the domes, and the parabolas. It’s a crazy way to build.”
The video shows the first two structures underway are a three-bedroom home and a single-room hotel unit, both featuring 12-foot high, curvy walls made from a ‘special’ cement-based material called Lavacrete.
These walls are being “printed” by ICON’s Vulcan, a massive 3D printer that stands 15.5 feet tall, weighs 4.75 tons and spans 46.5 feet wide. A print technician oversees the process as Vulcan’s robotic arm and nozzle layers the Lavacrete.
ICON CEO and founder Jason Ballard also explained that factors like humidity, temperature, and sunlight can affect the material’s performance. Therefore, workers constantly monitor these conditions and fine-tune the Lavacrete ingredients accordingly.
