It is building 43 new hotel units and 18 residential homes over 40 acres — all with a 3D printer. It is the world’s first 3D-printed hotel, says El Cosmico owner Liz Lambert and the partners behind the project — Austin, Texas-based 3D printing company ICON and architects Bjarke Ingels Group. The “ink” of this 3D printer is a special cement-based material called Lavacrete, a proprietary mixture designed for strength, affordable scale, and printability. In the long term, 3D-printed construction could displace some skilled laboring jobs, said Milad Bazli, a science and technology lecturer at Charles Darwin University in Australia. The hotel units will range between $200 and $450 per night.

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Persons: El Cosmico, Liz Lambert, Bjarke, Lambert, ” Lambert, “ I’ve, It’s, ICON’s Vulcan, Jason Ballard, ” Ballard, Milad Bazli, “, ” Bazli Organizations: Bjarke Ingels, Charles Darwin University Locations: MARFA, Texas, El, Marfa, Austin , Texas, Austin, Australia