Is 3D printed house sustainable

Abstract

D printing technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything, so President Barack Obama recently said (Remarks by the President in the State of the Union Address, The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, 2013): the impression is that three dimensional (3D) printing is taking the world by storm in different areas. If for objects of small dimensions, the technology is well-established, great developments are expected in the construction industry. As a matter of fact, since the beginning of 2000, with the first attempts for a large-scale 3D printing construction system, the innovators are working around automated additive manufacturing in order to print whole buildings as well as large- scale subcomponents. To date, different processes trial has started, from the printing of elements to the layer by layer construction of entire structures in a non-stop work session, starting from the foundation level and ending on the top of the roof. Even the materials trial has started: bio based plastic, mix of grinded-down rocks or sand held together with a liquid binding agent, fiber-reinforced concrete, etc. The objective stated by different manufacturers and researchers involved is the sustainability of the built environment, in terms of economic, environmental and social benefits. But, is this innovation really sustainable? What about the environmental sustainability of these new construction processes? The purpose of this study is to try to give an answer to this matter, through three research phases: 1. gathering and analysis of the current information on the 3D printing technology applied to construction; 2. identification and analysis of the main systems and case studies, including those with a longer experience in terms of research and experimentation (e.g., Contour Crafting and D-Shape) and the younger ones that are rapidly gaining visibility (e.g., Canal House and the Chinese system WinSun); 3. their evaluation in terms of environmental benefits and critical environmental issues. The results obtained from each work phases, in particular the case studies analysis, leads us to think that the potential of 3D printing technology is substantial for the construction industry. If it continues to be developed, certainly it may revolutionize the construction process. However, implementing the technology will not be without its challenges.