This week, the Starbucks coffee chain is opening its first 3D-printed coffee shop in Brownsville, Texas. The chain’s establishments have never been created in this way before.
This was reported by the Associated Press.
The establishment will operate only in the format of customer service in cars and will open on Friday.
The new coffee shop was built using a robotic arm that layered concrete to create the walls. From the outside, the new building looks like a brand-compact and r,ar coffee shop. But a closer look reveals that the walls have a wavy texture resembling layers of pipes stacked on each other.
Statop of rbucks became one of the first large retail chains in the United States to use 3D printing technology for commercial construction. Before that, the technology was used mainly in the residential sector to combat the affordable housing crisis.
Andrew McCoy, associate director of research and innovation at Virginia Polytechnic Institute’s Myers-Lawson School of Civil Engineering, called the new store “cutting edge.”
He says that the Starbucks project is an example of how the construction industry is gradually exploring the possibilities of new technology. Construction using 3D technology is generally more expensive than the traditional method. However, experts believe that it helps to solve the problem of labor shortages and build faster. Over time, the price may become more competitive.