Two of three newly opened 3D-printed barracks at Fort Bliss, Texas, Jan. 29, 2025. They are the first 3D-printed structures to comply with the Defense Department’s updated Unified Facilities Criteria, a mandate updated annually that provides construction guidance DOD-wide and now reflects standards for additive manufacturing, or 3D-printed, facilities. (Photo by David Poe, Fort Bliss Public Affairs Office). The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
By: FEDweek StaffThe Army has cut the ribbon on a new 5,700 square-foot barracks at Fort Bliss, Texas – made largely using robotic materials and 3D printing.
The complex consists of three buildings – two in the post’s Pershing Heights area and another at its training complex in nearby New Mexico, the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) reported. It was produced jointly by the Army and a startup company called ICON, which specializes in robotics and advanced materials.
“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,” said Lt. Gen. David Wilson, deputy chief of staff for installations, G-9, during the Jan. 29 dedication ceremony at Bliss.
Each of the new barracks will house as many as 56 soldiers, in support of the Mobilization Force Generation Installation mission – which prepares troops for both deployments and returns from mobilization. At Fort Bliss, some 70,000 soldiers move through these installations annually.
At the onset of the process, designers used computer-aided software to virtually slice and rejoin the structures’ components. Then the barracks were actually built onsite by a 3-D printer that used concrete and could be tailored to local environmental conditions.
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