Fort Bliss Opens First 3D-Printed Barracks for 560 Troops

What happened

The Army opened two of ten new 3D-printed barracks at Fort Bliss, Texas, on July 28. The $62.8 million project with ICON and the Army Corps of Engineers will eventually house up to 560 troops from the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Mobile Brigade.

Soldiers from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, rotating to the southern border will be among the first residents. Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, Fort Bliss commanding general, said the barracks cut travel time after shifts.

How it was built

ICON used its five-ton Vulcan printer to extrude lavacrete, a concrete material designed for Texas humidity and temperature swings. Printing for all 10 buildings took 58 days. Standard barracks take years to plan and build. This pair took just over six months from contract to ribbon cutting.

Each building holds two rows of bunk beds in an open bay. Lockers separate beds, and each bunk has its own power outlet. The design added more washers and dryers after earlier rotations showed demand. There is also a small gear shower modeled after dog-grooming stalls for washing mud and dust off equipment.

Why it matters

The Army is treating this as a test for future rapid housing. If 3D-printed barracks can scale, the service could cut contractor backlog and refresh installations faster.

Three other 3D-printed buildings opened at Fort Bliss in 2025. This batch is the first large-scale deployment the Army calls a Department of War milestone.