3D Printing, or additive manufacturing, refers to a process where the material is extruded in thin layers and gradually built up to form a three-dimensional shape, all from a digital model. In architecture, this modern technology ranges from small models and prototypes to full-scale structures and houses.
Materials
There are a range of materials that can be used in this construction method, including:
- Concrete is used for printing walls, facades, and structural elements. Quick-setting concrete retains shape during the printing process.
- Plastics: Thermoplastics like PLA, ABS, or specialized composites are used in prototypes, small-scale models, or non-structural elements.
- Clay and Bio-materials: These materials are used for sustainable or experimental designs, often printed for artistic purposes or low-cost housing.
- Metal: Not all metals can be 3D printed but the ones that are, aluminum and steel for example, offer strong and lightweight design options, albeit at a high cost.
Sustainability
Unlike traditional manufacturing techniques, there are no offcuts or scraps involved with 3D printing, and only the material that is needed is used. This means virtually no waste. As well as this, it also helps to support locally sourced materials reducing the transport distance for materials, a process that is energy-intensive and costly.
New materials are always developing, and with 3D printing, there is the opportunity for integration of a circular economy. If we use a material that at the end of its life span can be repurposed and reprinted into a new structure, a sustainable cycle can develop, vastly reducing the need for new raw materials.
Precision and repeatability
Another key benefit of 3D printing is repeatability. Once a design has been finalized in the digital environment, it can be replicated as many times as necessary with identical results. This ability to consistently reproduce high-quality components without variation is crucial for both large-scale projects and smaller, custom-built designs.
Challenges of this technology
Although materials that can be used in this manufacturing method are always evolving, currently it is still a limitation. As previously stated, only a handful of materials are compatible, and even these are compromised. For example, the concrete used is not as strong or durable as when it is made using more common methods.
There is also the issue of scale. While there has been some success on small projects it remains to be seen if this can be translated to much bigger structures. The printers themselves are a limited size, so to manufacture very large buildings, small sections would have to be printed and then assembled for something greater. This adds time and cost to the project.
It is also still highly specialized. In order to construct a building using 3D printing, there needs to be knowledge of digital design, construction methods, and robotics. This specialized nature adds to the cost.
Lunar infrastructure asset
The use of this technology can be seen in NASAs efforts to create structures on the moon, with the aim of creating the ‘lunar infrastructure asset’ within the next decade. This will allow astronauts to have extended periods of time on the moon. Located in ‘the Peak of Eternal Light’, solar radiation will be ever-present, allowing for an energy source.
Similar to vernacular architecture, the structure would be made from native materials, specifically lunar regolith, with polymer being used in addition to it. “Unlike conventional 3D prints, where layers are parallel to the ground, LINA will be 3D printed at a 60-degree angle to construct the continuous, vaulted roof”, (LINA, 2014).
The use of 3D printing on the moon highlights one of the main advantages of this technology as an alternative when typical ‘hand-made’ structures are not viable.
Thinking huts
In Madagascar, Thinking Huts, a nonprofit organization, created a school with a hybrid approach to 3D printing. Inspired by bee hives and honeycomb, hexagonal ‘pods’ are joined next to each other, designed to allow for expansion if ever needed. The walls are made from a cement mixture that was 3D printed using a singular robotic crane arm. The roof is made from locally sourced timber, finishing a simple yet stylish building.
While 3D printing offers numerous benefits to the built environment, it is unlikely it will ever replace traditional manufacturing techniques. Like with many emerging technologies, it is important to consider them and understand how they can help, but also be aware of their limitations. 3D printing can help transform off-world architecture and has the possibility to boost our push towards suitability, and in many cases can work in unison with more traditional techniques to improve efficiency. It is still unlikely, however, that construction jobs will be threatened by this technology.
Bibliography:
LINA. “AI Spacefactory.” AI Spacefactory, 2014, spacefactory.ai/lina. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.
Images
- Rental management. Concrete 3D Printing. ararental.org/Rental-Management/article/ArtMID/4195/ArticleID/1622/CategoryID/159/CategoryName/Tech-talk/Taking-3D-printing-to-multi-story-heights.
- parametric-architecture. LINA Concept , parametric-architecture.com/3d-printed-lunar-structure-developed-by-nasa-and-ai-space-factory/.
- BOTO Friddet. Thinking Huts School, www.designboom.com/architecture/thinking-huts-3d-printed-school-madagascar-fianarantsoa-06-06-2022/.
