World's first 3D-printed hotel takes shape in Texas

El Cosmico, the world’s first 3D-printed hotel, is expanding with 43 hotel units and 18 homes in Marfa, Texas. Using ICON’s 3D printing technology, the project allows for unique architectural designs, scheduled for completion by 2026, with room prices ranging from $200 to $450 per night.

El Cosmico, a hotel and campground located on the edges of Marfa, is growing. 43 new hotel units and 18 residential homes are being constructed over 60 acres (24 hectares) using a 3D printer.

It appears similar to a regular 3D printer, but it is as large as a crane and is constructing a hotel in the Texan desert, one layer at a time.

It is the world's first 3D-printed hotel, claims Liz Lambert, the owner of El Cosmico, along with partners ICON and Bjarke Ingels Group. Technology enables unparalleled creativity, says Lambert.

"Most hotels are contained within four walls and a lot of times you are building the same unit over and over and over again," Lambert said. "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."

According to Lambert, the units may contain architectural elements that would typically be too costly to reproduce in a large-scale manner using traditional building methods.

The initial two units being built have 12-foot (3.7-meter) tall walls and consist of a three-bedroom residential area and a one-room hotel unit. ICON's Vulcan, a 46.5-feet wide 3D printer weighing 4.75 tons, is currently extruding the curvy, beige-hued walls at a height of 15.5 feet.

A print technician monitors Vulcan as its robotic arm and nozzle glide through the work site on a gantry.

The "ink" of this 3D printer is a special cement-based material called Lavacrete, a proprietary mixture designed for strength, affordable scale, and printability. ICON CEO and founder Jason Ballard said workers adjust and blend the ingredients based on weather conditions.

ICON is currently involved in developing a neighbourhood of houses near Austin using 3D printing technology.

3D-printed construction might replace certain skilled labor jobs in the future, according to Milad Bazli, a science and technology lecturer at Charles Darwin University in Australia.

"I think from the social point of view and the effect on the economy in terms of the local jobs, especially in remote areas, that will be one of the challenges that we need to consider when we're going to the 3D printing method," Bazli said.

The completion of the expansion of El Cosmico is scheduled for 2026. The cost per night for the hotel rooms will vary from $200 to $450.