In February of this year, senior leaders from the U.S. Army’s Fort Bliss in El Paso County, Texas, held a ribbon cutting for three new barracks. But these weren’t just any barracks facilities. These three new buildings were innovative and cutting-edge – not because of what was inside, but how they were built.
The three buildings opened at Fort Bliss – two in the Pershing Heights area and one at Camp McGregor on the Fort Bliss Training Complex in New Mexico – were part of a pilot project conducted with industry partner ICON and designed to test the use of advanced 3D printing technology to construct living quarters for soldiers. What resulted from this pilot program were three barracks structures built in record time and lessons learned that will help to expand the use of 3D printing for construction projects across the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
To learn more about this exciting 3D printing program, and how the 3D printed barracks compared to those built with traditional construction techniques, we sat down with respected leaders from across the DoD and U.S. Army, including:
- Lieutenant General (LTG) David Wilson, Deputy Chief Staff, G-9, Headquarters Department of the Army
- Christopher C. Thompson, Ph.D., P.E. Chief, Military Engineering Branch, Engineering and Construction Directorate, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
- Guillermo “Willie” Garcia, P.E. Construction Branch Chief, Engineering Services Division, Directorate of Public Works (DPW), Engineering Services Division at Fort Bliss
- Sean Anderson, Program Manager, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Autonomy Portfolio
In the first part of our two-part discussion, we talked about the results of the pilot program, the time and cost savings that 3D printed structures could deliver to the DoD, and how the unique qualities of 3D printing materials make them especially suited to building military structures.
GovDesignHub (GDH): The Army recently held a ribbon cutting for two new barracks structures on Fort Bliss constructed using 3D printing technologies. Why did the Army 3D print these barracks instead of building them with traditional construction techniques and technologies?
LTG David Wilson: Anything that we can do that does not sacrifice quality or space is a real win. 3D printing is quicker and less expensive than traditional military construction projects, which are typically a five-to-seven-year process.
The Army 3D-printed these barracks in collaboration with industry partners, including ICON, as part of a pilot developed by the DIU and the Army at Fort Bliss, Texas. The Army chose to 3D print collective training transient barracks because we are always looking for capabilities that improve speed and provide the best value and quality for our people.
This technology could allow the Army to enhance the survivability of buildings and provide resilient, flexible, fast-to-construct, and lower-cost facilities. Supply chain risks are minimized because the technology will enable us to use local materials. The materials used are noncombustible and resistant to mold, mildew, and rot, which reduces maintenance and could extend the life cycle for 3D-printed facilities.
GDH: How did the construction of these barrack structures compare to traditional construction in terms of the time it took to go from breaking ground to having completed structures? Were they more economical to build regarding materials or overall cost?
Sean Anderson: The three barracks were built under a prototype contract to establish the feasibility of the technology and its future applicability for the DoD in production scenarios at scale. Demonstrating the capabilities of ICON’s printing technology, the Camp McGregor barracks wall system was completed in just 19 days. However, long-term overall economic feasibility has not been established as this is a first-of-its-kind prototype.
We hope to see significant cost savings through economies of scale in both material and learning curves as prototypes can be delivered to the field faster.
“…after the lessons learned at the two Fort Bliss Barracks, the print timeline for the McGregor Barracks was just 19 days, which was quicker than traditional construction.” –Willie Garcia
While there were delays in the execution and production of the buildings and prototype systems, the technology was not a major driver of the delays. Rather, addressing unforeseen requirements, such as DoD Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) code deficiencies and conducting seismic shake table evaluation after the completion of major construction caused the government to look at ways to become more efficient by addressing the root causes of the delays earlier in the fabrication process.
Willie Garcia: That’s entirely correct. In fact, after the lessons learned at the two Fort Bliss Barracks, the print timeline for the McGregor Barracks was just 19 days, which was quicker than traditional construction.
Substantial completion of the buildings was completed in April 2023. While that was later than the original schedule of February 2023, it was a result of addressing the UFC compliance of the structures. That required significant additional time and cost to resolve. – approximately 20 months and $1.86 million in additional costs to ICON, plus time, travel, and other logistics.
GDH: Is the Lavacrete material used to construct these barracks structures by ICON expected to benefit the Army in the future? Will it save on heating/cooling costs? Any impact on maintenance and repair costs?
Sean Anderson: The material is non-combustible, mold, mildew, and rot resistant. It is also a durable and low-maintenance wall system due to the nature of its design and inherent strength. However, this being a prototype and first-of-its-kind construction, we have not seen the monetary or tangible benefits this early in the lifecycle.
“These 3D-printed wall systems are substantially stronger than traditional stick frame walls. That should reduce the likelihood of structural damage and rot.” –Willie Garcia
We expect to see benefits over time as standard materials become more expensive and less reliable, and the Lavacrete material becomes more efficient and cost-effective.
ICON’s 3D printed wall system meets or exceeds mass construction energy code requirements for Climate Zones one through six. The unique thermal mass of the 3D-printed walls reduces peak wall surface temperatures inside buildings during the hottest part of the day and shifts the peak to cooler hours when HVAC systems are more efficient.
Willie Garcia: The material ICON was using at the time, Lavacrete 4, was at times inconsistent when produced at scale, resulting in issues with rotor-stators and material compatibility that jammed the system and generated waste, causing delays. Advancements in in-house material production and additive dosing systems near the print nozzle have drastically improved material reliability and reduced waste, lowering 3D construction costs.
These 3D-printed wall systems are substantially stronger than traditional stick frame walls. That should reduce the likelihood of structural damage and rot. As Sean explained, the 3D-printed walls also possess far more thermal mass, reducing heating and cooling costs, which makes them more durable and energy efficient.
GDH: How did these structures compare with traditionally constructed barracks structures regarding safety and meeting operational requirements? Were any differences noticed by the Fort Bliss Garrison Directorate of Public Works and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in their testing and evaluation of these structures?
Sean Anderson: The prototype barracks are the first 3D-printed structures to satisfy the DoD UFC, including the newly added UFC 3-301-01 code for additive construction. As part of this compliance, the building underwent extensive testing, including the first-ever seismic shake table test conducted for both the DoD and ICON.
ICON’s wall system performed successfully, meeting Seismic Category B requirements and ensuring safe, resilient transient training barracks. Additionally, all non-3D-printed portions of the barracks complied with UFC requirements for full operational compliance.
