EDITOR ' S QUESTION
It all depends on the materials being used for 3D Printing , typically , 3D printed housing initiatives utilise materials resembling concrete , comprising a blend of cement , sand , crushed stone or gravel , and occasionally additional materials . Codes are heading in the direction of requiring GWP ( Global Warming Potential ) limits on concrete albeit the focus at the moment is on large-scale non-residential projects . There ’ s renewed consciousness about embodied carbon of construction materials and concrete is one of the most carbon-intensive materials out there . The sourcing of materials is very important given the climate crisis and the role of the built environment on global greenhouse gas emissions . We can ’ t help solve one problem when it can potentially lead to another with long-term consequences . There is some exploration in the use of eco-friendly building materials for 3D printing and it will be good to see the industry moving in that direction and the results those experiments yield .
Given that in California , an affordable housing unit can cost US $ 500 – US $ 600 / sf , in a multifamily development ; the cost of 3D printing is less ; even though data on cost has shown a wide range , from US $ 10,000 to almost US $ 1,000,000 . Most of the multifamily apartment examples are coming from overseas , it will be an interesting study to see how that translates to the local construction industry with specific requirements relevant to prevailing wage , union labour etc .
Other observations relevant to this technology are if the intent for mass deployment is to use brown and grey fields to construct smaller footprint single-family homes because if the intent is to take up large amounts of greenfields and 3D print single-family homes which may potentially be an eyesore aesthetically , and utilise carbon intensive materials we ’ re just solving the construction time equation and glamorising the printer without solving much .
I can see some hybrid construction applications , where part of a building is 3D printed and the rest uses more traditional construction techniques with biogenic materials but again what is the design and development intent and what are we trying to achieve ?
In terms of time , there are benefits of cutting construction time which can prove to be very beneficial specifically for postdisaster recovery to provide housing . On account of less waste , this technology also offers material efficiency , using less , and wasting less are all characteristics of conscious design . �
HAFSA BURT
FOUNDER , LEAD ARCHITECT AT HB + A ARCHITECTS
www . intelligentbuild . tech 27