BIG & ICON unlock design potential created by new technology

Tenderstream member Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has joined forces with leading large-scale 3D printing pioneer ICON and Texan hotelier Liza Lambert to reimagine and rebuild El Cosmico, a unique 21-acre campground hotel in Marfa, TX. The campground’s relocation and expansion to more than 60 acres will showcase entirely new architectural approaches made possible by large-scale 3D-printing including domes, arches, vaults and parabolic forms.

The development will feature guest units in addition to new hospitality programming, including a pool, spa, and shared communal facilities. Breaking ground in 2024, El Cosmico will celebrate the convergence of creative culture promoted at the campground and the minimalistic natural environment of the Marfa landscape. 

“I have had a vision for the evolution of El Cosmico for many years that includes several spaces that add to the experience both for guests and locals – a pool, a hammam, and more space for art and skills-building workshops,” said Liz Lambert. “In collaborating with the revolutionary thinkers at BIG and ICON, not only do I get to fulfill this dream, but we get to do it using this incredible 3D printing technology that marries the oldest principles of raw earth-based building with a futuristic technology that works more quickly, sustainably and efficiently than modern construction.”

The new hotel and homes feature organic curves, using a primordial architectural language that can only be achieved by 3D-printing. Bjarke Ingels, BIG founder & creative director stated: “Our collaboration with El Cosmico and ICON has allowed us to pursue the formal and material possibilities of cutting edge 3D-printed construction untethered by the traditional limitations of a conventional site or client…Organic shapes, Euclidian circular geometries and a colour palette born from the local terroir makes El Cosmico feel as if literally erected from the site it stands on.”

The team has partnered with The Long Center for the Performing Arts to bring a taste of El Cosmico to Austin, Texas in the form of the first 3D-printed performance pavilion, which took two weeks to print. The pavilion is making its debut at the yearly South by Southwest technology and film conference currently taking place in Austin, TX., while the El Cosmico development is expected to break ground in 2024.

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

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