It looks like any other 3D printer—except it’s the size of a crane and, layer by layer, is building a hotel in the Texan desert.
El Cosmico, a hotel and campground on the outskirts of downtown Marfa, is expanding. Build 43 new hotels and 18 residences over 60 hectares (24 acres)—all with a 3D printer.
It’s the world’s first 3D-printed hotel, said El Cosmico owner Liz Lambert and the project’s partners — Austin, Texas-based 3D printing company ICON and architects Bjarke Ingels Group.
Lambert said the technology allows for unprecedented creativity.
“Most hotels are located within four walls and many times you build the same unit over and over again,” said Lambert. “I have never been able to build with such complexity and such fluidity … just curves, and domes, and parabolas. It’s a crazy way to build.”
The units can include architectural features that would often be too expensive to replicate on a large scale through traditional construction, according to Lambert.
The 12-foot (3.7 m) tall walls of the first two units under construction are a three-bedroom residence and a one-bedroom hotel unit. The curved, beige walls are pushed out by ICON’s Vulcan, a 46.5-foot (14.2 m) wide 3D printer that stands 15.5 feet (4.7 m) tall and weighs 4.75 tons.
A print technician monitors the Vulcan as its robotic arm and nozzle glides over the work area on the gantry.
The “ink” of this 3D printer is a special cement-based material called Lavacrete, a proprietary blend designed for strength, affordable scale, and printability. ICON CEO and founder Jason Ballard said workers prepare and mix ingredients based on the weather.
“The magic happens in the mixes that allow us to continue printing,” said Ballard, adding that humidity, temperature, and lack of light affect the material’s behavior and even the final color.
ICON is also working on 3D printed homes near Austin.
In the long run, 3D-printed construction could displace some skilled jobs, said Milad Bazli, a science and technology lecturer at Charles Darwin University in Australia.
“I think that from a social point of view and the impact on the economy in terms of local jobs, especially in remote areas, that will be one of the challenges that we have to consider when we go to the 3D printing method,” said Bazli.
The expansion of El Cosmico will be completed in 2026. Hotel units will range between $200 and $450 per night.
(This Sept. 26 story has been corrected to say the expansion area is 60 acres, not 40 acres, in section 2)
— Evan Garcia, Reuters
Written by Rosalba O’Brien.
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