Architectural Evaluation of 3D-Printed Buildings

Abstract

3D-printed constructions express the capacity of automated technologies to elaborate buildings through additive manufacturing. These constructions require an architectural design according to their manufacturing conditions. This research reviews buildings that have been executed with these technologies in order to determine architectural characteristics. From an Internet search, a register was compiled of 112 cases of 3D-printed constructions around the globe. They include some 10,000 m2 of built surface area and were mainly erected in the last five years. The review shows that cases were built by approximately thirty executors, mostly entrepreneurs’ companies who have made different buildings as single-family dwellings constructed with gantries or robotic arms, either on-site or in factories. Most of the components printed are walls, with single or double filaments with interior voids. In some cases, they integrate reinforcements and openings. The geometry of the 3D-printed constructions varies between orthogonal layouts that replicate existing buildings and spherical shapes that reflect printing capabilities. Many of the cases are a combination of these characteristics, mixing a technological adaptation to existing architecture and new operative conditions. This review reveals the emerging development of this construction system with the progressive consolidation of some architectural attributes.