3D PRINTING IN

CONSTRUCTION
WHAT IS 3D PRINTING?

3D printing is a process by which physical

objects are created by depositing materials
in layers based on a digital model. All 3D
printing processes require software,
hardware, and materials to work together.
The first 3D printer was invented in 1983
by Charles W. and over the last decades, 3D
printing has become one of the fastest
growing technologies nowadays. In its
early days, it was very complicated and
expensive technology. Over the years, 3D
printing started to be present in everyday
life and printers became commonly used in
industrial practice. 3D printing can also be
referred to as ‘additive manufacturing,’
especially when referring to its use within
a manufacturing setting, and many
individuals will use both phrases
interchangeably.
HISTORY

• The first printer was developed by Charles Hull in 1984.

• Experimental application using 3D printing in the construction industry started in

the early 1990s.

• One of the applications of 3D printing in construction is the reproduction of

historical building ornamental components.

• Another application is the spall damage repair on concrete roads.

• Furthermore, NASA is interested in the potential of 3D construction in space.

CONCRETE PRINTING
• Usually uses high-performance concrete as the material. This process allows
more geometrical control.
• Concrete printing uses SLA printers, which was the first 3D printer that was
developed by Charles Hull.
• “Selective solidification (SLA) makes a solid object from a vat of liquid by
selectively applying energy to solidify the liquid a layer at a time”
10 PRINCIPLES OF 3D PRINTING
 BENEFITS OF 3D PRINTING FOR
CONSTRUCTION

One might think we have good technologies for building

different structures, we make stable houses, apartments,
and offices, is there still room for improvement? Oh yes.
Rebuilding whole cities after a natural disaster, giving
shelter to homeless people and generally building more
sustainable habitats- those are only a few problems that
3D printing can help with.
WASTE REDUCTION
• Worldwide construction waste currently
totals more than 1 billion tons each year, and
according to Construction Dive, this number is
expected to double by 2025.
• While 3D printing won’t be able to solve
all of the construction waste problems, it can
help. This is largely because 3D printing is an
additive manufacturing process that only uses
as much material as is necessary for creating
a structure.
• When paired with other waste-reducing
processes and building methods like
prefabrication and lean construction, the
potential of a waste-zero building seems all
the more likely.

REDUCE HUMAN ERROR

• More than 5,000 workers are killed on the
job each day.
• Because construction would be more
programmable and automated, worker
injuries and fatalities would likely
decrease if 3D printing was incorporated
onto the jobsite.
DESIGN FREEDOM
• One of the great things about 3D printing is the
design freedom that it offers.
• Architects are able to build complex designs that
are otherwise unattainable, or too expensive or labor-
intensive to create by conventional construction means.
• This can allow for a lot more innovation and
creativity in the commercial construction space.
• Vonk adds,“3D concrete printing enables you to
make any shape.
• You can bend it, you can make angles, you can
make virtually any organic shape you want to, and it’s
a one-to-one copy to what you designed on paper.”
SPEED
• 3D printing has already shown that it can build a
home or building from the ground up in a matter
of days.
• That’s a significantly faster timeframe than
conventional construction, which can take months
and years to fully construct a commercial building.
• According to Marco Vonk, Marketing Manager at
Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix, “You save about 60% of
the time on the jobsite and 80% in labor.”
THE CHALLENGES OF 3D PRINTING IN
CONSTRUCTION

• Despite the benefits and potential that 3D printing has in

the construction sector, there are a number of factors that
may prohibit the technology from becoming mainstream. Below,
let’s explore a few of these challenges.

HIGH COSTS

• Perhaps the biggest challenge to the widespread adoption of 3D

printing technology on construction sites is the high cost of
purchasing or renting such equipment and the logistics involved
in getting these large 3D printers to the work site.
• 3D printers are costly, and that upfront purchase cost doesn’t
include materials or maintenance.
• Right now, it’s difficult for many construction professionals to
justify 3D printing’s cost over the technology’s benefits.
Quality control
• Weather already has the potential to slow construction progress,
but issues with Mother Nature may be amplified with 3D
printing.
• The weather, environmental factors and more are all conditions
that could make 3D printing in commercial construction more of
a bust than a boom. Furthermore, quality control in construction
can already be a tricky matter.
• If not constantly monitored and overseen by real humans,
quality in 3D printing could end up being a very expensive
mess.
 CHALLENGES OF 3D PRINTING IN CONSTRUCTION
3D PRINTER
1. Scalability
• MATERIAL ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN 2. Directional dependency
• Printability 1. Exclusion of building services 3. Geometrical limitations
• Buildability 2. Structural integrity
• Open time. 3. New design principles SOFTWARE RELATED
1. Cybersecurity
2. Interoperability
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT STAKEHOLDERS 3. Suitability of the digital
model for printing
1. Cost estimation 1. Skepticism of about the potential of
2. Construction site setup 3D printing
2. Less demand for workers REGULATIONS AND LIABILITY
3. Construction scheduling
3. New skills for construction workers 1. Lack of codes regulations
2. Liability issues
3D CONCRETE PRINTING

• 3D concrete printing is an emerging technology

that combines digital technologies and new
insights from material. technologies to allow free-
form construction without the use of formwork.
• It is a type of additive manufacturing technique
where the construction is through layer-by-layer
addition of material. It involves fabricating a
predesigned building element in 2D layers on top
of each other, the repetition of which results in a
3D model.
• The concrete, which is poured out of a printing
nozzle, does not require any formwork or
subsequent vibration.

Two processes currently leading the 3DCP field are

(1) The Extrusion based Single Deposition Nozzle
Concrete Printer which is similar to fused
deposition modeling.
(2) Powder deposition process where the “ink” is
deposited on a powder bed.
EXTRUSION-BASED 3D CONCRETE PRINTING EXAMPLES OF EXTRUSION-BASED 3D CONCRETE PRINTING
• The extrusion-based 3DCP is similar to the fused ELEMENTS/STRUCTURES
deposition modeling used in polymer and metal
technologies.
• Contour crafting is one of the proprietary terminologies
used for the layered fabrication technology .
• It is based on extruding a cement-based concrete against a
trowel that allows a smooth surface finish created through
the build-up of subsequent layers.

The two-story villa 3D printed by Huashang

Tengda company.
It is believed to be the first structure of its kind, built entirely on-site, unlike
other constructions which were printed in separate parts before being pieced
together. Located in Tongzhou, a district of Beijing, the house was built in 45
days, covering an area of 400 m2 (about the area of a basketball court). It
has two levels, and each of them is 3 meters high. Its walls, made of
reinforced concrete, are 0.25m thick and constructors claim it can withstand
an earthquake that measures eight on the Richter scale. According to Beijing-
based firm Huashang Tengda, the massive project needed little input from
manual workers while technology specialists oversaw the process via
computers.
In most of the 3d printed buildings the
Ceiling,slabs are precast and are installed
in the building.
POWDER-BED-BASED 3D CONCRETE PRINTING

• In the powder-bed process, a thin layer of powder is spread over the powder bed surface first.
• Once a layer is completed, binder droplets are selectively applied on the powder layer by a print-head causing powder particles to bind
each other.
• The binders are deposited only in places where the building material should become solid, and the rest is kept loose and removed at a
later stage.
• This uses D-shape 3D printing construction technology.
 Y-BOX PAVILION
All six columns of this modern cave twist
upward in different styles just like natural
Having been designed by Pitupong Chaowakul, an
stalagmites. architect from Supermachine Studio, the pavilion was
created through a combination of powder bed and inkjet
head 3D printing and 3D extrusion printing. Powder bed
and inkjet head 3D printing is recommended for creating
art objects that require meticulous detail, while 3D
extrusion printing is for constructing structural building
elements or even whole buildings. It took three months
to 3D print the entire cave construction.

The design of Y-BOX pavilion, 21st C. Cave is

unconventional. All six columns of this modern
cave twist upward in different styles just like
natural stalagmites. To complete its perfect look,
this structure is adorned with a round geodesic
lamp.

The interior is lit by a 70cm geodesic lamp.

 WORLD'S FIRST 3D PRINTED BRIDGE OPENS IN SPAIN

• The institute stated in a press release that the parametric design allowed
for the optimal distribution of the material and minimized the amount of
waste by recycling the raw material during production. The design also
allowed for maximum structural performance. The material is used only
where it is needed, with complete freedom in terms of form, maintaining
its porosity thanks to the application of generative algorithms and
challenging the traditional techniques of construction.

• The structure is printed in micro-reinforced concrete, and measures 12

meters in length and 1.75 meters wide.
BIG, NASA, AND ICON REVEAL 3D-PRINTED RESEARCH
HABITATS FOR MARS

Bjarke Ingels Group has collaborated with NASA and ICON to create Mars
Dune Alpha, a 3D-printed research habitat that will provide long duration
habitation for astronauts on missions to Mars. The 1,700 sq.ft. structure, which
is currently located at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, is designed
by the award-winning architecture firm, 3D printed by construction developers
ICON, and will soon be home to NASA's future crew.
• NASA has already begun its recruitment for the long-duration Mars mission analog
study inside the 3D-printed habitat, which will commence in Fall 2022. In addition
to the Mars Dune Alpha, ICON has also received funding from NASA to launch the
“Project Olympus”, the research and development of a space-based construction
system to support future exploration and missions on the Moon.
 MARS SCIENCE CENTER

• Mars is at the center of this discourse, the

most habitable planet in our solar system after
Earth.
• Proposals for the red planet explore how we
can create new realms of humanity in outer
space.
• In 2017, a team of engineers, scientists, and
designers from the Mohammed bin
Rashid Space Center in collaboration
with BIG architectural office, developed a project
simulates Martian conditions right here on Earth,
facilitating research and testing of different
building strategies to best withstand Mars' heat
and radiation.
• The project, aptly named Mars Science City,
was built using 3D printing techniques and sand
from the Emirati desert.
• Mars Science City will house a variety of
program pieces for both researchers and
visitors, including laboratories for the study of
food, energy and water; landscapes for
agricultural testing and food security studies;
and a museum celebrating humanity’s greatest
space achievements and educating visitors on
the city’s research.
• Utilizing one of the techniques currently
considered for Mars habitat construction, the
walls of the museum will be 3D printed using
sand from the Emirati desert.
• Mars Science City will house a variety of
program pieces for both researchers and
visitors, including laboratories for the study of
food, energy and water; landscapes for
agricultural testing and food security studies;
and a museum celebrating humanity’s greatest
space achievements and educating visitors on
the city’s research.
• Utilizing one of the techniques currently
considered for Mars habitat construction, the
walls of the museum will be 3D printed using
sand from the Emirati desert.
• Laboratory spaces will be outfitted with
advanced technologies allowing researchers to
test construction and living strategies under
specific Martian heat and radiation levels.
Plans for the city include an experimental
living scenario in which a team will attempt
to live within the constructed environment for
a full year.
•
3D PRINTED RESIDENTIAL VILLAGE
• Valentino Gareri Atelier have joined forces with
technology and wellness consultant Steve Lastro
of 6Sides and global wellness real estate
innovators Delos to create Sunflower Village, a
humanistic and sociological approach to residential
technology & community living. The proposed
residential village includes 19 homes arranged in a
sunflower composition that 'follows the sun'.

• The one-storey houses are constructed with a 3d-

concrete-printing technology. The construction
process of the units organically shapes the final
urban form, since new construction techniques
and materials have the tendency to influence the
final form of structures. The houses are
The construction site is placed in the center, allowing the concrete-printer distributed around a central communal area, with
machine to move through flexible binaries to print all the houses. Due to a photovoltaic roofs shaped and angled towards the
temporary placed turning-table, the houses are printed in sequence by rotating sun in order to receive direct clean energy.
in the central site. Less soil is consumed during the working phase, which
makes it an even more sustainable construction process.
• Each house is designed to be energy self-efficient, not only
due to their orientation, but also due to photovoltaic frameless
tiles that are clad onto the angled roofs.
• The clean energy collected from the sun exposure is collected
in batteries and used for the floor-heating system, air-
conditioning, and for electric cars alimentation.

• The house geometry, arrangement, and orientation promote and increase the
chimney effect of natural ventilation, reducing the need for automated air-
conditioning.
• PV panels are allocated only on the roofs which have the best sun
orientation, the energy accumulated is shared with the whole village, and
the facades are treated in order to achieve the best performance
according to the solar orientation.
INDIA’S FIRST 3D-PRINTED
HOME
As per Tvasta, the cost of constructing a 3D • Tvasta’s first structure is a single-storey house, a 600-sq ft unit, created in collaboration with
printed house is approximately Rs 5 lakhs to Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter at the IIT-Madras campus. The
house was built in just five days. Tvasta’s official blog states, “A standard 3D printer can produce
Rs 5.5 lakhs, roughly 20% of the cost of a a 2,000-sq ft home in less than a week, which is 1/8th of the total time spent today in erecting
standard 2BHK apartment. a functioning house. When it comes to waste materials, this technology creates only 1/3rd of the
waste generated using conventional building methods.”
OFFICE OF THE FUTURE IN DUBAI
• The 3D printed office was designed for the
United Arab Emirates National Committee as the
headquarter for the Dubai Futures Foundation.
• The so-called “Office of the Future” primarily
serves as a meeting space for parties from all
over the globe.
• The 3D printed office is a fully functional
building featuring electricity, water and
telecommunications and air-conditioning systems.
• The 3D printed house was produced in
China. After the parts had been printed, they
were shipped to Dubai.
• The project ultimately reduced labor costs
by 50 % to 80% and construction waste by 30%
to 60%.
• It is considered as the catalyst behind the
construction 3D printing revolution happening in
Dubai.
APIS COR PRINTED HOUSE IN RUSSIA
• A Russian company has done just, with a
400-square-foot-home being built from scratch
in just 24 hours in Moscow.
• The cost of the building is $10,000,
highlighting just how much potential the 3D
printing technology has for the future.
• The house was built entirely on site using
nothing but a mobile 3D printer, which makes
all the results impressive.
• It is a house that is certainly habitable and
short on space.
• The fact that it was produced at such low-
cost in 24 hours. All the walls and foundations
of this structure were printed with a concrete
mixture and other parts such as windows,
fixtures and furniture being added after
construction.
• The house was finished with a fresh coat of
paint with the final cost of the entire project
totaling a modest $10,134
3D PRINTING ECO-BUILDING

Building towards a more sustainable 3D

Printing Architecture, replacing concrete with
soil as a primary building material.
• Inspired by potter wasp, since 2012 WASP (World’s
Advanced Saving Project) have been developing viable
construction processes based on the principles of circular
economy and digital fabrication.
• On the market since 2021, WASP produces 3D-printed
houses in the shortest possible time and in the most
sustainable way with the first multi-printer Crane WASP
system, the company’s flagship of the construction line and
the newco WASP On Site the company’s benchmark in
architecture.
• TECLA is a new circular housing model, created using
entirely reusable, recyclable materials taken from the local
terrain.
• Built using Crane WASP – the latest innovation in on-
site 3D construction, TECLA represents a step-change in
the move towards eco-housing.
TECLA WILL BE THE FIRST HOUSE TO BE
ENTIRELY 3D PRINTED USING LOCALLY
SOURCED CLAY

• A biodegradable and recyclable ‘km 0 natural’ material

which will effectively make the building zero-waste.
• It will be built to adapt to multiple environments, and
it will be suitable for self-production through the use of
WASP’s innovative Maker Economy Starter Kit.
• This approach will limit industrial waste and offer a
unique sustainable model that will boost the national and
local economy, improving the wellbeing of communities.
• Furthermore, the scheme will significantly accelerate
the construction process as the 3D printer will produce
the entire structure at once.
3D PRINTED ROOFING

• In undeveloped countries, engineers are already using 3D

printing technology to create affordable roofing options for lower-
income populations.
• This roofing is based on the look of terra cotta tiles and is
made from recycled plastic.
• Not only is it a less expensive option than traditional roofing
materials, but it’s also longer-lasting than the corrugated metal
that’s used in roofing on many buildings in underdeveloped
countries.
• These 3D-printed roofing tiles come in two sizes and are
interchangeable and interlocking.
• They can be used to cover a 12 x 12-foot room with no
support, making them a logical choice for countries where it’s
difficult to get supplies in and out or where the population is
economically challenged.
Mix Local Materials
and 3D Printing
• On the surface of Mars, which is more inhospitable than the
North Pole, the idea of only using what is available locally
makes the most sense.
• If the urge to colonize the planet continues to gain strength,
supplying spaceships with construction materials (sacks of
cement, gravel or plywood sheets) is, without a doubt, out of
the question.
• The Marsha prototype, developed by Ai Space Factory, was
the winning proposal in the “NASA Centennial Challenge”
contest.
• Like the vast majority of current proposals, Marsha uses 3D
printing techniques using a mixture of basalt fiber extracted
from Martian rocks and renewable bioplastic (polylactic acid
or PLA) processed from plants that could be grown on Mars.
• The recyclable polymer composite outperformed concrete in
NASA's strength, durability and crushing tests.
• The researchers point out that considerable
attention has been paid to the search for more
environmentally sustainable alternatives to
concrete, especially soil itself, which can be
harvested and planted without the need to
transport materials over long distances,
allowing for a considerably reduced carbon
footprint and built-in energy costs.
 BUILDING THE FUTURE WITH 3D PRINTING

• 3D printing is emerging as a possible solution to some of the

challenges currently facing architecture, engineering, and construction
(AEC) – it can provide affordable housing, shelters for disaster-hit
regions, and an answer to sustainable construction.
• Alongside these, one of the main advantages is the lower construction
costs. It’s far easier to calculate the actual volume of construction
material required, resulting in less waste.
• Printed structures are also fabricated much quicker than traditional
structures, saving both time and money.
• Rapid construction speed is a significant benefit and another reason
why 3D-printed buildings are on the rise.
• Californian-based Mighty Buildings, for example, can now print a unit
in just 24 hours.
• Printing at such speed could allow 3D printing to be used to create
emergency shelters when needed and help meet the increasing
demand for housing.
• Another advantage that 3D-printed architecture can
provide, is a more sustainable way to build. Some
specialists are exploring natural and local materials as
an alternative to concrete, which comes with a heavy
carbon footprint.
• This is an exciting development for AEC and of
particular interest to architectural firms looking to
reduce carbon emissions.
• Two companies testing alternatives to concrete for 3D
printing are WASP and Mario Cucinella Architects.
 3D PRINTING BY TECLA

• One of their projects, TECLA, has recently been printed

in Italy with clay, paving the way for sustainable 3D
printing in the future.
• Being able to utilize local resources is also important
for projects that are literally out of this world.
• ICON, a US-based developer of advanced construction
technologies, is working with NASA to create the first
simulated Mars habitat.
• If or when we support life on Mars, it will be
essential to fabricate structures using local materials.
• 3D construction could be the answer to how we build
these structures.
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https://www.archdaily.com/968146/building-the-future-with-3d-printing-and-real-time-
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https://shamrockroofer.com/into-the-future-3d-printed-roofing/
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