The potential of large-scale 3D-printing to usher in a paradigm shift toward environmental sustainability

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The built environment can be a voracious consumer of the earth’s natural resources, as well as aproducer of greenhouse gasses. At a time when the call for environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly urgent, merely modifying existing methods of production will be insufficient to support a growing global population with escalating aspirations and expanding per capita ecological footprints. The purpose of this research is to rethink fundamental assumptions of current building processes in order to gravitate toward a sustainable level of resource use. Large-scale 3D printing (additive manufacturing) offers this possibility because, among other things, it can accurately situate material volumes in such a way that reduces consumption of the earth’s resources. That said, the large-scale 3D printing material of choice is currently concrete bound with Portland cement-a material that contributes up to 5-8% of man-made carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. Our research team has taken up the challenge to harvest clays, chemically modify them, and print structures in-situ, offering a greatly reduced environmental impact compared to concrete.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• ABSTRACT
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Need for an environmentally sustainable paste for large-scale 3D-printing
• 3. Conclusion
• Reference