Quest for an Optimal Solution
For quite a while now, technology has been changing the projectile of numerous industries. Many industries have benefited from technological advancements. The construction industry is no exception to this trend. Throughout the course of the modern construction history, technology has made huge transformations of construction devices, procedures and material options. In order to complete projects in the shortest period possible while spending the least amount of money, extraordinary and all-important discoveries have been used in all areas of the construction sector. More recently, the 3D printing technology is stepping-in to contribute for the advancement of the construction industry.
The conventional construction practices have been criticized because of their cost intensive nature. Various stakeholders of the industry have done to the best of their ability to keep the cost of construction as low as feasible. The cost-intensive aspects of the construction process were identified through extensive multi-disciplinary researches. From a management standpoint, project managers proposed managerial solutions. Architects and engineers have approached the issue from design frames of considerations. Manufacturers have provided cost efficient materials. Despite all these efforts, there was still a strong desire for more optimal alternatives.
Shifting the Trend
In 2018, Oliver Wyman, in his book “Digitalization of The Construction Industry: The Revolution Is Underway”, stated that the construction Industry was reshaping itself slowly but surely faster than ever before. He emphasized that the pressure to change came from many sources: changing customer expectations, new technological skills, a new generation of professionals, booming start-up environment, encouraging legal frameworks and the launch of large infrastructure projects.
Since the advent of the 3D printing technology, it has been part of astonishing applications in several industries. In the construction industry however, it has been widely used for making design prototypes. Since the early 2000s, 3D printed buildings have gone through various phases of testing. Today, 3D printer companies are printing buildings with all the elements of structural design, HVAC system, sanitary, electrical and aesthetical considerations. Experts are convinced that the 3D printing technology can still provide much more in the construction industry.
Recently, The Grand View Research released a report on the global size of the 3D printing construction market, which was estimated at 11,268.9 thousand USD in 2021 and is expected to have an annual growth rate of 100.7% from 2022 to 2030. In the long run, the technology has a promising potential to takeover the construction industry.
The Debate
Many specialists are promoting 3D printed houses as an economical and an auspicious solution to end homelessness around the globe. Significant others argue that this proposition not be considered as a valid information, at least for now. They say that the costs of 3D printers, transportation and trained operators are extremely expensive.
Another debatable topic is whether the 3D printing construction is a solution to sustainability of the construction industry. Well, the practitioners advocate it as a sustainable practice. Sustainability experts on the other hand argue that sustainability should only be measured based on the cumulative effects of each and every of the sub-processes that has ever contributed to a specific construction project as regarded from a holistic approach.
In The Times Ahead
Despite the debatable points, everyone can agree that the technology is still at an early stage in the construction industry. Even though in some countries, 3D printed buildings are getting legal recognition by fulfilling all the required national specifications and building codes, it’s still early for massive production. However, the capability of the 3D printers to integrate all sorts of design information haven’t been controversial. In fact, their reputations for delivering projects with a shorter time frame have been highly appreciated. In addition, the concept has been praised for its reduced construction waste, which is a huge leap to a cleaner environment.
For the future, scientists are promising to integrate all the stakeholders of the construction industry, all aspects of design criteria of buildings and all considerations of sustainability to realize mass production of dwellings and combat homelessness. Historically speaking, science have always found its way for the betterment and ease of human lives. It’s hard to guess when we will witness masses of 3D printed residences all around us, but it appears we are on the verge of a new culture of construction methodology.
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