Local content creators in Brownsville, Texas, have spotted the emergence of a new structure on their small city’s horizon: a 3D printed Starbucks store.
As reported by social media page Brownsville Today, the building features 3D printing’s telltale layer lines, as well as a large distinctive Starbucks logo. Though not finished just yet, it appears to be nearing completion, so Brownsville is close to getting an interesting new coffee spot.
The technology behind the project is COBOD’s gantry-style 3D printers, which work much like your desktop machine at home – only on a much larger scale. With the company’s BOD system, a giant nozzle slides along a gantry, and deposits a specialized concrete formulation into pre-designed structures (in this case, the shape of a coffee shop) layer-by-layer.
COBOD are no newcomers to this kind of application. After all, its technology has been used to construct everything from Europe’s largest 3D printed building to a 3D printed railway station.
Starbucks has also utilized 3D printing before to build a store in Shanghai, China, but its latest project suggests a shift towards embracing modern construction techniques in the US too.
Its Chinese store is said to feature a sustainable 3D printed exterior. Less is known about the company’s efforts in Texas, but this hasn’t stopped locals from speculating on social media. On Facebook, some users have asked about its flood and hurricane-proofing. Others have questioned why the chain hasn’t been more ambitious, given what’s now possible.
These are all important questions about 3D printing’s long-term viability as an alternative to the traditional, highly regulated concrete-led construction industry. Hopefully Starbucks’ new store will provide some answers – and nice cups of coffee – in the near future.
