In Texas, a hotel is being built using a 3D printer

Marfa (USA) – The El Cosmico hotel and campsite on the outskirts of the Texas town of Marfa is expanding. On an area of 24 acres, 43 new hotel units and 18 cabins are being built. This alone wouldn't be particularly newsworthy if a 3D printer weren't employed for the construction. The owner of El Cosmico, Liz Lambert, and the partners behind the project—3D printer manufacturing company ICON and architects from the Bjarke Ingels Group—claim this is the first hotel in the world created by a 3D printer, reported Reuters.

According to Lambert, this technology allows for unprecedented creativity. "I have never had the opportunity to build with such freedom and without restrictions... those curves and domes and parabolas. It's a crazy way to build," she said. The individual hotel suites can include architectural elements that would normally be too expensive.

The printer used for the construction looks like any other 3D printer, except its dimensions are significantly larger. The Vulcan printer is 14.2 meters wide, 4.7 meters high, and weighs 4.75 tons. A technician oversees the printing equipment, whose robotic arm and nozzle move around the construction site on a crane system. The "ink" of this printer is a special cement-based material called Lavacrete, a patented mix designed with strength, affordability, and printing capabilities in mind. Jason Ballard, the CEO and founder of ICON, stated that workers adjust and mix additives based on weather conditions. The material's behavior, including its final color, is influenced by humidity, temperature, and radiation.

The hotel expansion is expected to be completed in 2026.