In the field of architecture, there are many tools an architect will use for their design process to help them and their client clearly understand what a building will look like and how it will be built. Some of these tools include a pencil, paper, scissors, tape, computer, printer and more. One recent innovation of tools and tech-nology in the field of arch-itecture is the three dimensional (3D) printer. This is no ordinary printer that prints in black and white; it is a printer that prints actual objects. However, the 3D printer is not a new innovation, but it is the way we use it that is new. Already we use a 3D printer to create small-scale models of a building to help an architect know how a design looks from different perspectives, helps understand light interactions with the sun and even the key phase of selling the design to the clients. Now, architects have begun to use 3D printers for full-scale livable buildings that are chan-ging the architect’s design and build buildings.
History of 3D Printing
In 1984, the first three dimensional printer was built by Charles Hull, an engineer in physics. “Charles Hull broke new ground by inventing stereo-litho-graphy. A stereolithography lets designers create 3D models using digital data, which can then be used to create a tangible object.” (Goldburg, 2014) The stereo-lithography was the first of its kind to be able to mass-produce objects at a much cheaper and efficient way. It used an acrylic-based material known as photopolymer that would liquefy when hit with a UV laser beam. Once the light exposure is removed, the material instantly turns solid into the molded shape of your 3D-model design (Gold-burg, 2014). This innovation makes it possible for people to fabricate complex parts in a fraction of the time.
In 1999 the first 3D-printed organ was implanted in humans by wrapping the organ in the patient’s cell removing any chance of rejection (Goldburg, 2014). Around this time, arch-itects began to use 3D printers in their practice to create scaled models that aid them when presenting to their clients to understand how a building project will turn out. The first prosthetic leg was printed in 2008, the first article of clothing and blood vessel in 2009, the first aircraft and car in 2011, and the prostethic first bone in 2012 (Mathur, 2016). Soon 3D prin-ters will become even more advanced. Already NASA has begun developing printers that will create edible food and the first zero gravity 3D printers in space (Goldburg, 2014). A benefit that comes with NASA’s program is a solution to our food shortages and growing popu-lation. Eventually these 3D printers will become our future, making food for us, building homes, also creating cars, but how will this effect us?
How It Works
3D printers for full-scale construction use a fast drying concrete mixed with an aggregate adhesive and steel mesh reinf-orcement instead of the traditional use of plastic used to create architecture models. The mixture is installed on the building site, placing layer after layer, potentially doing also all the plumbing, wiring and pain-ting work (Nehuen, 2015). In addition to the 3D printer is 3D printing flying drones that aid the printer to create detailed facades on the exterior of a building. 24 hours later, an almost finished house is completed. Among important advantages its ability to create complex shape at rapid speed and no wasted material surpasses all traditional building methods. This means we can look forward to new revolution in architecture and architecture-related fields, such as dramatic changes in housing market, job market and several enviro-nmental impacts.
Current Projects
Currently architects have begun to use 3D printers to create full-scale buildings. This is the beginning of a revolutionary design that will greatly impact the field of architecture and architecture related fields. An article by Dezeen (2013), an architecture trade magazine, describes “The race to build the first 3D-printed house” between several architecture firms across the world. This new innovation was created by the Dutch studio Universe Architecture firm, based in Amsterdam, who “Unv-eiled designs for a looping two-story house that resembles a Möbius strip and will be printed on site, in concrete” (Chalcraft, 2013) in January of 2013. Offi-cially, the first home to be built by a 3D printer was by DUS architects, along a canal in Amsterdam. This building was built using “A homemade port-able printer located inside an upended shipping container” (Chalcraft, 2013). This project use of a 3D printing is just the start of an incredible innovation in the discipline of architecture because of its grand potential for further advancements in our culture. Since this first home built by a 3D printer there have been several architecture firms that have or will have created other building projects.
Project of Interest
One particular project that utilized a 3D printed building design is the project designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) (Oh, 2015). This part-icular project consists of a 3D-printed building powered by a 3D-printed vehicle. The com-bination of mobile power with an energy-efficient building design and photovoltaic (PV) panels creates the possibly for human shelter off the grid (Oh, 2015). Together they work in unison by the car charging building in the day and the building charging the car during the day through the collection of solar panels. The design of the building combines structure, air, insulation, exterior cladding, and moisture barriers into one shell. Even the C-shape form produces greatest amount of insulation in the least amount of space.
Survey
Personally I am not that familiar with 3D printers and have yet to use it in my own practice, but from this research of what is a 3D printer I have already begun to learn more than I began with. Since I knew that I am not the only one in a similar standpoint. I decided to ask my peers about how much they knew about 3D printing. As a result, all of my peers knew what a 3D printer was but about half of them had never used it before. The other half uses 3D printing less than a few times a month.
How often do you use 3D printing?
Answer choice - Responses %, # Responses
10+ times a month - 0%, 0
6-9 times a month - 0%, 0
3-5 times a month - 0%, 0
1-3 times a month - 11.11%, 1
As needed - 44.44%, 4
Never - 44.44%, 4
Total responses - 9
Table 1. Represents the data collected from architecture student’s 3D Printing Survey responses; the surveyors are undergraduate architecture students from 3rd 4th and 5th year classes.
To get a better unders-tanding of how well my peers were familiar with the integration of 3D printing in building construction, I briefly discussed how it has to begun to create large-scale buildings that are changing the methods of trade-tional construction. I then ask what each person feels about this new innovation in architecture and what he or she would expect to see change. After being asked “What is your personal thought when it coming to using 3D printing in Architecture?” All of the students could agree that integrating 3D printing is a bene-ficial innovation. One student said, “All for it, the true awakening of architecture (our society) is our countries catharsis as a whole from fossil fuels, this can be achieved through new technology and material advan-cement.” This student is correct. There are already have been many advancements that seem small in comparison to 3D printing’s full potential.
I then asked my peers:
“What would you expect to see change in the field of architecture if we used 3D printing instead of traditional construction? (Select all that apply)”
Answer choices - Responses %, Responses
Robot drones - 55.56%, 5
Job Loss - 55.56%, 5
More Complex buildings - 55.56%, 5
Increase in housing availability - 66.67%, 6
Cookie-cutter houses - 55.56%, 5
Increase housing value - 22.22%, 2
Unreinforced structures - 55.56%, 5
Total responses - 9
Table 2. Represents the data collected from architecture student’s 3D Printing Survey responses; the surveyors are undergraduate arch-itecture students from 3rd 4th and 5th year classes.
To my surprise most responses expected to see an increase in housing availability but not an increase in housing value, but this is ideal in an economic standpoint. When a projection of a product increases the pricing decreases.
Affordable and Environmental
With this new innovation, some major questions arise of what different types of effects we can expect to see change in the near future? One of the greatest advocates for 3D printing is Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis. From University of Southern Cali-fornia, Dr. Khoshevis has spent more than 15 years developing his Contour Crafting system (3D printing in architecture) (Watkins, 2014). In short, he breaks down the cost of const-ruction and impacts on the environment when 3D printing is integrated into the process of building. Currently the cost of construction consists of 20%-25% financing, 25%-30% materials, and 45%-50% labor but with 3D printing we would expect a reduction of cost and time in all areas. Essentially this means that the cost to contour craft is four times less expensive as conventional construction methods (Mathur, 2016). Also the amount of carbon dioxide release into our atmosphere due to construction will reduced by 52% and the amount of embodied energy used will reduce by 89% (Watkins, 2014). This dramatic reduction in cost, material, time, fuel, and energy will significantly drop the prices in the housing market. This is especially beneficial in the California area because our housing market has skyrocketed to ridiculous rates due to high demands. However, California is not the only place or persons that will be effected, we could see significant changes at a global and local scale as well.
If we were to ask who wants a home in a day? Most people would say that they would. But the people who would need it most would be victims of natural disasters and the homeless in poverty stricken areas. These are the two groups that would benefit from integrating a 3D printer into the construction process of a building. The World’s Advanced Saving Project (WASP) in Italy recently designed a large-scale 3D printer that aims to create affordable fabricated homes for the people who don’t have homes or lost their homes due to devastating events (Nehuen, 2015). “According to a press release on WASP’s website, United Nations estimates an average daily requirement of an astounding 100,000 homes over the next 15 years to cope with the world’s growing population” (Nehuen, 2015). This outstanding innovation in architecture and architecture-related fields makes building quick, cheap, and efficient which is very beneficial to many people in the long run, but there are also some downturns to this technology.
Economy (Jobs)
Many people, especially construction workers, are worried about job loss since technology has begun to take over. This may be true the people could lose their jobs, but it could actually open new job opportunities for women and elderly in the more creative activities of construction, such as computer and management of machines. There are still challenges for construction companies that cant be fixed with a machine. “Currently, none of these systems can handle major elements of the construction process of a regular building, such as electrical services, plumbing, doors, windows, joinery, and finishes” (Nehuen, 2015). These are all areas where we can expect an increase in job opportunities. Even the demand for architecture itself will increase. Since it already takes about a full year to design a single building, the reduction in the time it takes to build the project will create a greater demand in speeding up the design process of other building projects.
Good or Bad?
One last question comes to mind when it comes to combining 3D printing and architecture, which is “Is the use of 3D printers in architecture beneficial or will there be negative consequences to this new innovation?” Truth is that it is both, but the benefits weigh out the disadvantages. The disadvantages are to using 3D printers are job losses in the construction field and the possibility for structural failure during natural disasters. Luckily, we can expect more positive to this new innovation such as a reduced housing market prices, decrease in injuries, increased job opportunities in architecture, engineering, framing, electrical, pluming, and many other fields, reduction in pollution, reduction in waste, and a reduction in the homeless population due to poverty or natural disasters. There are still some kinks that need to be worked out, such as structural stability against earthquakes and wind, but in a few years there will be a dramatic change in our economy and environment.
Conclusion
Overall, 3D printing in architecture will positively affect architecture and architecture-related fields. Because this innovation is still relatively new at large scale printing, it will be a while before 3D printing will be in full effect. Next we can look forward to further advancements in architecture, such as NASA’s program to develop 3D printers in space and to create edible food.
References
Chalcraft, E. (2013). 3D printing architecture print shift. Dezeen. Retrieved from http://www.dezeen.com/2013/05/21/3d-printing-architecture-print-shift/
Goldburg, D. (2014). History of 3D printing: it’s older than you are (that is, if you’re under 30). Autodesk: Red Shift. Retrieve from https://redshift.autodesk.com/history-of-3d-printing/
Mathur, R. (2016). 3D printing in architecture. International Journal of Innovative Science, Engineering & Technology, 3 (7). 583-4. http://ijiset.com/vol3/v3s7/IJISET_V3_I7_70.pdf
Nehuen, A. (2015). Construction & architecture : building the home of the future. Sculpteo. Retrieved from https://www.sculpteo.com/blog/2015/10/07/3d-printing-construction/
Oh, E. (2015). This 3D-printed building by SOM is powered by a 3D-printed car. Archdaily. Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/774493/this-3d-printed-building-by-som-is-powered-by-a-3d-printed-car
Petros, M. (2013). Contour crafting - Berok Khoshnevis interview on CNN. CNN. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e42plTx9cEI
Watkins, K. (2014) TEDxTalk: Contour crafting: automated construction / Behrokh Khoshnevis. Archdaily. Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/552829/tedxtalk-contour-crafting-automated-construction-behrokh-khoshnevis