On April 12, 2022, the repository learned from a U.S. Department of Defense press release that 3D printing construction company ICON is working with the U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) to build three buildings in Fort Bliss, Texas, each of which will cover an area of 530 square meters when completed and will be used as a temporary barracks.
Prior to that, ICON 2021 also designed and 3D printed a 353-square-meter innovation training camp for the Texas Department of Military Affairs that could accommodate 72 soldiers, the largest 3D printed building in North America at the time. Soon, this record will be set by ICON itself, according to the resource library, the three military camps will be completed in 10 months, when these will become the largest 3D printed buildings in the Western Hemisphere.
Lt. Gen. Doug Gabram, commander of the U.S. Army Facilities Management Command, commented: "Building facilities using this cutting-edge technology can save labor costs, reduce planning time, and speed up the construction of future facilities." We are looking for other ways to use this innovative technology to quickly build other types of facilities outside of military barracks. ”
The buildings will also be the first 3D printed structure to comply with the Department of Defense's Uniform Facility Standard for Additive Concrete Construction (UFC), a UFC document released last September.
At present, there is no comprehensive industry code, guide or standard for 3D printed buildings, which has little else to say in terms of the 3D printing building regulatory system, in which case other players in the industry are likely to learn from the regulations formulated by the military.
"We are proud to work with the U.S. Army and continue to work with DIU to see a variety of use cases for ICON technology across the Department of Defense and to provide a resilient, comfortable 3D printed barracks for soldiers in Fort Bliss, Texas," said O'Donoghue, vice president of public sector at ICON.
To build these 3 barracks, ICON intends to use its Lavavarete material. Developed by an American company specifically for 3D printing, this material is similar to concrete, capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions and greatly reducing the impact of natural disasters.
As for the cost of construction, ICON declined to disclose the amount of money spent on specific construction. However, the company says it uses 3D technology to reduce construction costs by 10-30% compared to traditional methods.