The world’s first 3D-printed hotel is set to open outside the desert town of Marfa, Texas, with construction scheduled to begin next year.
Consisting of several massive 3D-printed buildings, the hotel will house an infinity-edge pool, spa, and artist studio.
Inspired by the surrounding desert landscape and cosmos, it will be built by leading 3D printing company Icon, which is currently contracted to NASA to build habitats on the Moon and Mars.
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Located on the grounds of El Cosmico, the hotel is a pre-existing “Bedouin” hotel and campsite where guests spend the night in trailers, Indian tents, and safari tents.
Led by hotelier Liz Lambert, the project is a collaboration between Icon and world-renowned architecture firm BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group). The hotel features organic curves, domes, arches and domes that have been achieved through robotic 3D printing and specialized software.
Once complete, the project will expand El Cosmico’s footprint from 21 hectares to 60 hectares.
With a color palette inspired by the desert terrain, the new hotel will feel “as if it was actually constructed from its site,” say the architects.
As part of the campus, 3D printed homes – called Sunday Homes – will be displayed on the site. A statement notes that these two-, three- and four-bedroom homes, ranging in size from 111 sqm to 204 sqm, will have “extensive views” of the nearby Davis Mountains.
Camp El Cosmico was created “in the belief that life should be a balance between adventure and ‘doing nothing'”.
In addition to giving visitors “access to the majesty of the high plains desert,” it’s also home to the Trans-Picos Festival of Music and Love – described as “an intimate, multi-media festival of sensual delights, held under the vast skies of the Chihuahua desert.”
Commenting on the new hotel project, Liz Lambert said: “I have had a vision of developing El Cosmico for many years that includes many spaces that add to the experience for both guests and locals – a swimming pool, hammam and more space for skills development and arts workshops.
“Together with the revolutionary thinkers at BIG and Icon, we will not only make this dream come true, but we will also make it happen using incredible 3D printing technology that combines Earth’s oldest raw building principles with futuristic technology that works faster, sustainably, and efficiently than modern construction.” To that, the innovation and beauty of the types of structures we can build extend well beyond the box. It’s only fitting that Icon has a contract with NASA to build the first homes on the Moon and Mars. I’m thrilled that we can explore their amazing work here in our own little cosmic landscape under the stars in far western Texas.
“Our collaboration with El Cosmico and Icon has allowed us to pursue the formal and physical possibilities of cutting-edge 3D printed manufacturing without the traditional limitations of a traditional location or client,” said Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director of BIG.
While Icon co-founder and CEO Jason Ballard added, “The truly unique and differentiated architectures made possible by 3D printing are just beginning.”
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