Two notable 3D-printed projects mark milestones in the new construction technique of “printing” structures with specialized concrete.
In Athens, Tennessee, Walmart hired Alquist 3D to build a 20-foot-high store expansion, one of the largest freestanding 3D-printed commercial concrete structures in the U.S. In Marfa, Texas, the world’s first 3D-printed hotel is under construction at an existing hotel and campground site.
Alquist created a nearly 8,000 sf addition to the retailer’s online pickup and delivery space at the store. The project is the first time Walmart has used 3D printing technology at this scale.
Austin, Texas-based 3D printing company ICON and architects Bjarke Ingels Group are partnering on the hotel project on the outskirts of Marfa. The single-story, 12-foot-high walls of the first two units are a three-bedroom residential space and single-room hotel unit.
As the hotel is built, workers adjust and blend the concrete ingredients based on weather conditions. Humidity, temperature, and irradiance affect the material's behavior and the final color.
Related Stories
3D Printing | Aug 29, 2018
Dubai plans to 3D print 25% of every new building by 2025
The Dubai Future Foundation recently announced the Dubai 3D Printing Strategy.
Accelerate Live! | Jun 24, 2018
Watch all 19 Accelerate Live! talks on demand
BD+C’s second annual Accelerate Live! AEC innovation conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago) featured talks on AI for construction scheduling, regenerative design, the micro-buildings movement, post-occupancy evaluation, predictive visual data analytics, digital fabrication, and more. Take in all 19 talks on demand.
| Jun 11, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: How advanced digital fabrication techniques are driving design innovation
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), SOM’s Lucas Tryggestad and Kyle Vansice present the firm’s 3D-printed building project and explore how digital fabrication is pushing design innovation.
| May 30, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Seven technologies that restore glory to the master builder
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), AEC technophile Rohit Arora outlines emerging innovations that are poised to transform how we design and build structures in the near future.
3D Printing | Nov 21, 2017
Europe’s first 3D-printed building has been completed
Construction ran a few weeks behind schedule, but the 3D printing wasn’t to blame.
Codes and Standards | Aug 8, 2017
3D printing industry working to implement standards for products, processes
Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collective (AMSC) will develop industry-wide additive manufacturing standards and specifications.
Accelerate Live! | Jul 6, 2017
Watch all 20 Accelerate Live! talks on demand
BD+C’s inaugural AEC innovation conference, Accelerate Live! (May 11, Chicago), featured talks on machine learning, AI, gaming in construction, maker culture, and health-generating buildings.
Building Team Awards | Jun 14, 2017
3D-printed office: Office of the Future
Dubai kicks off 3D-printing tech initiative with a novel office project.
3D Printing | Jun 14, 2017
This is the world’s first building completely 3D printed onsite
The building is a lab for research on drones and 3D printing technology.
| Jun 13, 2017
Accelerate Live! talk: Incubating innovation through R&D and product development, Jonatan Schumacher, Thornton Tomasetti
Thornton Tomasetti’s Jonatan Schumacher presents the firm’s business model for developing, incubating, and delivering cutting-edge tools and solutions for the firm, and the greater AEC market.
