The Army has cut the ribbon on the opening of three new buildings at Fort Bliss, the first of their kind to have been built using a massive 3D printer, and in compliance with Army housing regulations.
"The barracks were built with ICON’s Vulcan printer, a five-ton, gantry-style 3D printer that stands almost 16 feet tall and 47 feet wide," an Army press release states. "The machine uses a proprietary concrete-based material called Lavacrete, which can be tailored to local environmental conditions, including humidity and temperature, ensuring optimal performance and aesthetic appeal"
According to ICON, who built these structures, they together have a footprint of 5,700 feet and when the project began last year, it was the largest 3D printing project in the entire western hemisphere.
Two of the buildings are located in the Pershing Heights area and another is located at Camp McGregor on the Fort Bliss Training Complex. The new facilities will house soldiers assigned to the Mobilization Force Generation Installation on Fort Bliss.
Each building can house 56 soldiers, and one of the Pershing Heights buildings is already scheduled to accommodate the 382nd Military Police Detachment this year.
"We’re here today because many people dreamed of new ideas and said ‘why not,’ and that’s why we’re delivering this state-of-the-art facility to the Army today," explained Lt. Gen. David Wilson, the deputy Army chief of staff for installations.