Glamping US

3D printing has been a revolution in many areas, with 3D printed jelly vitamins and chocolate sculptures making waves in the food industry, and open source files allowing people at home to print a huge variety of household items from hooks to bins and everything in between.  The technology exists on a large scale too, with massive 3D printers designed to print in cement having been used to build houses.

Soon, the first 3D printed hotel will be available to stay in, and it’s part of the El Cosmico glamping retreat in West Texas.  The site already boasts a variety of accommodation options including the classic vintage airstream trailer and traditional tipis and yurts.  Now, the 3D cement printing technology will create a series of circular pods that will connect to create glamping accommodation in the desert.

Sand and soil from the desert itself will be used in the building mix to create structures that look and feel like they are a natural part of the landscape.  The curving walls give a soft look to the exterior, gently mirroring the swirling sand effect of a desert storm to connect the structures to the landscape in which they sit.  The use of materials from the site also harks back to the traditional adobe, mud-built homes that desert dwellers have built and lived in for thousands of years, marrying the traditional with the technical to create a sustainable, efficient building style.

Inside the sleeping area of the pods the 3D printed walls gently rise around the bed platform offering privacy through the design of the structure itself.  The curves rise to the roof where a circular skylight allows for stargazing, which takes full advantage of the lack of light pollution in the desert.  In fact, one of the partners on the project, ICON, has a contract with NASA to build the first houses on the moon, so it is entirely fitting that one of their early projects includes that link to the heavens.

The project is expected to get off the ground in 2024 (no pun intended), so there is plenty of time to plan and book a trip to this exciting glamping spot so you can stay in the first 3D printed hotel.  We hope glampsites in the UK or Europe take this project and run with the inspiration, because this building style is ideal for many areas of Spain where arid conditions make these mud/cement dwellings a cool retreat. 

In the UK this style of building would be ideal in places with a lot of natural clay or sand that could be excavated in groundworks and used in the construction of glamping pods, reducing the material miles and environmental footprint of the project.  A mix of 3D printing and other traditional building styles could be employed to create glamping accommodations that use some historic techniques. 

Perhaps a wattle and daub wall, incorporating manure and horsehair from a nearby farm for strength and insulation, could be built on 3D printed foundations?  Maybe an old brick making site could be alluded to by using some hand made bricks on a floor or doorframe around which 3D printed panels could be inserted?

The possibilities for 3D printed construction in the world of glamping are endless, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.