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Scaled prototype of lunar dome structure printed with Contour Crafting (CC). Credits Behrokh Khoshnevis, University of Southern California, USA.
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The basic principle of ‘3D Printing’ is the layer wise production of real parts from virtual data – be it with laser, with power glue, electron beam or UV light processing (Hopkinson, Hague, & Dickens, 2006). The professional application of ‘3D Printing’ is ‘Additive Manufacturing’ (AM) and this opens a fascinating new world of engineering. It offe...
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... infill panels? How can the glazing be realized? This leads to bended glass, or to new ways of producing those doubly curved elements with AM technologies: for example with 3D printed glass -'Direct Glass Fabrication' (Rammig, 2010) (see Fig. 2), or with freeform dome structures from clay or concrete -'Contour Crafting' (Khosh- nevis, 2006) (see Fig. 3). There are ideas at hands, and they can support the further development of additive processes from cooperative research, the specialist's input and the academic approach. ...
Citations
... Additionally, building services components can be integrated into the façade; thus the façade is one of the more challenging parts of a building (Strauss & Knaack, 2016). The façade has an impact on both energy consumption and on the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) (Klein, 2013). ...
3D-printing has transformed traditional manufacturing by enabling the fabrication of individually designed complex systems. The building’s façade is one of the most challenging systems because it affects the control of the built indoor environment and allows to provide energy-saving.
The objective of this research is to distinguish 3D-printing technologies and applied materials in them that improve transparency in the façade to decrease artificial lighting consumption, to control solar energy, and to improve energy-savings.
A literature study was performed, firstly, different 3D-printing techniques and their materials for producing transparent outcomes were reviewed from academic databases. Then, transparent 3D-printed façade prototypes were identified.
The outcomes indicated that most of the prototypes used the FDM 3D-printing technique and Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol as a material. These prototypes didn’t consider the disadvantages of the FDM technique for the lighting transmission. Additionally, some prototypes have control over daylighting discomforts but some of them not. Prototypes tried to improve energy-saving which ranged from applying recyclable materials to controlling solar gain.
... Powder bed fusion is suitable for components with complex geometries, but small sizes because of the slower process (Andersen et al. 2017). An example of this application is the Nematox façade node prototype made using aluminium powder (Strauss and Knaack 2016), or the tensegrity structure lighting node designed by Arup made by ultra-high-strength steel powder ("Arup" 2021). Directed energy deposition can use wire arc welding tools and wire (Wire and arc additive manufacturing) to build medium to large-scale components. ...
3D printing and additive manufacturing have been established in several industrial fields with an unprecedented increase in the building sector during the last decade. Several companies’ applications of 3D construction printing and numerous scientific works demonstrate the potential of this technology. Recently, researchers are investigating both the specific 3D printing performances and the global trend of additive manufacturing production. However, the existing applications and literature reviews focused on specific issues. The present work proposes an in-depth review on the current progress of 3D construction printing by emphasizing for the first time the similarities and differences between advancements in research and in industrial applications. This comparison allows reaching a comprehensive overview of how academic and technical worlds are working differently, including a broad-spectrum vision from an environmental, structural and functional point of view. As a result, the investigation highlights the existing gap and future interest of academic world and companies.
... During the last decade, several research groups have started working on these ideas. In 2013, several studies on the application of AM to building construction started to be released [6,7]. The studies highlighted the endless possibilities that AM brings to the construction of façades. ...
The first 3D-printed building in Spain is the object of this study, and it is presented and physically described herein from different points of view. This study combines on-site measurements , simulations, and a life cycle assessment to assess some relevant parameters concerning the acoustic, thermal and environmental performance of the 3D-printed house. The main objectives are to analyze whether the house complies with the acoustic and thermal regulations and to assess whether it can act as a sustainable alternative to conventional masonry construction, especially when time plays an important role. The build surface (3D prototype) of the house is approximately 23 m 2. The internal space includes a living room (12.35 m 2), a bedroom (7.36 m 2) and a bathroom (3.16 m 2). The total surface of the house is 22.87 m 2 and it has a volume of 64.03 m 3. The acoustic insulation was measured according to the ISO 9869-1:2014 standard. In terms of the acoustic insulation , the sound reduction index was tested following the guidelines of the ISO 140-5:1999 standard. Additionally, the study includes a comparative life cycle assessment comparing the 3D-printed fa-çade with two conventional wall typologies. The 3D-printed house displays an excellent thermal performance, with a measured thermal transmittance of 0.24 Wm −2 K −1 , suitable for all Spanish climate zones. Regarding the acoustic insulation, the measured global sound reduction indexes of the façades range from 36 to 45 dB, which is adequate for areas with noise levels of up to 75 dB. The environmental results indicate that 3D-printed façade manufacturing emits 30% more CO2e than a façade constructed using concrete blocks and 2% less than a masonry block wall. Overall, this study shows that, in addition to its multiple advantages in terms of the construction time, the studied 3D-printed house has similar acoustic, thermal and environmental traits to the most common construction typologies. However, it cannot be considered a sustainable construction method due to its high amount of cement.
... Additive manufacturing methods provide great freedom of form compared to traditional methods (Strauss & Knaack, 2016). Nowadays, designers and engineers can freely create complex designs in shapes that traditional production processes could not provide. ...
... Complexity in form is observed in the façade, which is one of the most challenging parts of a building. This complexity can be attributed to the multifunctional nature of the component that controls the indoor environment of a building (Strauss & Knaack, 2016). Moreover, the growing demand for low energy consumption and comfort have given the façade an important role in the overall building concept. ...
Currently, several research projects investigate Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology as a possible construction method for future buildings. AM methods have some advantages over other production processes, such as great freedom of form, shape complexity, scale, and material use. These characteristics are relevant for façade applications, which demand the integration of several functions. Given the established capacity of AM to generate complex geometries, most existing research focuses on mechanical material properties and mainly in relation to the load-bearing capacity and the construction system. The integration of additional aspects is often achieved with
post processing and the use of multiple materials. Research is needed to investigate properties for insulation, thermal storage, and energy harvesting, combined in one component and one production technology.
To this end, the research project “SPONG3D” aimed at developing a 3D-printed façade panel that integrates insulating properties with heat storage in a complex, mono-material geometry. This paper gives an overview of the panel development process, including aspects of material selection, printing process, structural properties, energy performance, and thermal heat storage. The development process was guided by experiments and simulations and resulted in the design and manufacturing of a full-scale façade element prototype using FDM printing with PETG. The project proved the possibility of the integration of functions in 3D-printed façades, but also high-lighted the limitations and the need for further developments.
... Further potentials are highlighted in [18]. Focusing on facades, [23] investigate the tool-less production with additive manufacturing that allows for new shapes and less, but higher integrated functional parts, such as fittings, offering a better performance with lower material consumption. Recent studies also investigate to what extent 3D-printing technologies can be successfully applied to the construction of large/scale structures, including full buildings [5,12,13,16,25]. ...
This paper presents a parametric approach to an integrated and performance-oriented design, from the conceptual design phase towards materialization. The novelty occurs in the use of parametric models as a way of integrating multidisciplinary design constraints, from daylight optimization to the additive manufacturing process. The work focuses on the case of a customized sun-shading system that tailors daylighting effects for a fully glazed façade of the alleged PULSE building.
The overall workflow includes preliminary analysis on simplified models and an initial parametric model to run computational optimization loops. The output consists of individually unique sun-shading panels, optimized for varying daylighting requirements based on programmatic distribution and specified viewing areas. The resulting geometric complexity was resolved through subsequent detailed parametric models; implementing the structural design requirements and integrating the constraints dictated by the additive manufacturing process, including the necessity to minimize material and 3D-printing time. This paper focuses on a particular part of the overall workflow, describing the support provided by parametric modelling to control geometric complexity and multi-disciplinary requirements.
