The Department of Defense (DOD) has once again teamed up with construction technology company ICON to produce three residential structures for the Fort Bliss military installation in El Paso. At 5,700 square feet apiece, the DOD says they will represent the largest 3D printed structures in the Americas once construction is completed.

Companies had been prevented from even applying for DOD contracts until a recent change to the federal Unified Facilities Criteria (or UFC) allowed for the inclusion of 3D printing technology companies like the Austin-based startup, which immediately produced a design for a Marine Corps barracks facility at Texas’ Camp Swift Training Center.

Leapfrogging off of this past experience, ICON will again incorporate its patented Vulcan printer and Lavacrete material to create three separate barracks, designed by Austin-based Logan Architecture, that will be realized in a period of about ten months.

“This project supports all three Army priorities: people, readiness, and modernization,” Lt. Gen. Doug Gabram said in a statement. “Constructing facilities using this cutting edge technology saves labor costs, reduces planning time, and increases the speed of construction of future facilities. We are looking at other ways to use this innovative technique for rapid construction of other types of facilities beyond barracks.”

Gabram also commented that the Army was “exploring other ways to use this innovative technique for rapid construction of other types of facilities besides barracks.”

“Currently there is a multi-billion dollar backlog of housing, and this impacts those serving our country,” ICON’s Brendan O’Donoghue said finally. “We are proud to collaborate with the U.S. Army and continue our partnership with DIU to see diverse use cases for ICON’s technology and to deliver resilient, comfortable 3D-printed barracks for soldiers at Ft. Bliss.”