World's first 3D-printed hotel is currently being 'printed' in Texas and it's a game-changer

Among futuristic technologies that have taken the world by storm, 3D printing has transformed every sector from manufacturing to construction. On the outskirts of Marfa in West Texas, surrounded by a huddle of shops selling art, a hotel called “El Cosmico” stands out in the desert. At present, the owners are expanding the hotel campus with 43 additional units and construction is already underway using a gigantic 3D printer called “Vulcan” that uses “lavacrete” to print out buildings in a matter of days, according to The Smithsonian.

A groundbreaking machine, Vulcan was created by Texas-based 3D printing and robotics company ICON. 60 Minutes revealed in a video that ICON is nowadays working with NASA to develop a 3D printed structure on the Moon. In the video, host Lesley Stahl took a tour of ICON’s 3D-printing technology and was fascinated by what she saw. Vulcan, she reported, is the brainchild of a 41-year-old Texan named Jason Ballard.

Lesley showed that the process begins by mixing a giant sack of concrete powder with water, sand, and additives. The mixture is then pumped to a robotic printer that is pre-programmed to spread the mix over an area, just like bakers spread dollops of frosting on a cake.

In the case of El Cosmico, the printer is rolling out layer upon layer of sand-colored material, creating curvilinear sand-colored walls that match the color palette of the desert. Apart from walls, the printer is capable of printing domes, arches, vaults, and parabolic structures, according to ICON’s press release.

“When the Vulcan constructs walls, it looks“like an inkjet printer with a cartridge going back and forth,” Liz Lambert, El Cosmico’s owner, told the Big Bend Sentinel. This construction is a joint project between Lambert, ICON, and architects at Bjarke Ingels Group. In addition to the extra units, the project also includes the construction of 18 luxury residential homes. The expansive mountain-view homes, called “Sunday Homes,” will be priced at around $2.29M and are exclusively listed with Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty. Whereas, a stay in the 3D-printed hotel units will cost between $200 and $450 per night, according to The Smithsonian. They will be equipped with pools, bathhouses, and a restaurant. El Cosmico is the first-ever hotel that is being built using 3D printing tech.

Lambert, who has many childhood memories of visiting a ranch in Marfa with family, said that it was her longtime dream to do this. “I am so happy about breaking ground at the new El Cosmico site,” she said in the ICON press release. Speaking to the Big Bend Sentinel., she further said the mixture of lavacrete is a low-carbon material with a compressive strength of 2,000 to 3,500 pounds per square inch. The mixture also uses local Texan materials, which are specifically colored to blend in with the landscape of Marfa. The construction is set to conclude in 2026. "Printing homes with dirt, water, and a binder; it is just like it's going to be rising from the desert floor. I never would have imagined," Lambert said in a video.