3D-printed construction milestones take shape in Tennessee and Texas

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.