3D Concrete Printing for Sustainable and Affordable Housing Construction-Comparative Study

The construction sector's contribution to environmental pollution is not hidden, which is evident from its staggering 50% share in global climate change. Therefore, changing the conventional construction methods to be more sustainable is the most sought-after topic in recent days. 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) has become the center of attention due to its digital fabrication technology, resulting in low construction waste and high health and safety standards in the construction process. However, 3DCP is still a work in process and poses serious constructability challenges to be widely adopted in the construction market. One of the many challenges is the effect of 3DCP on overall building cost and global carbon emissions. This paper discusses the application of 3DCP on two-story residential construction in the UAE, where Precast Concrete (PC) construction is the popular practice for such buildings. For this purpose, a case study of 6 Unit Townhouse building in an existing mass housing project using PC construction in the UAE is selected and redesigned using 3DCP. Construction duration, cost, and CO2 emissions were evaluated for both construction types. The findings of this research support the potential of 3DCP to be adopted for sustainable and affordable housing construction.