3D printing can Help the Construction Industry Become Carbon-Neutral. Here’s how

Brief 

Progress will require collaboration between regulators and industry leaders, who should actively engage to ensure numerous standards are updated regarding the use of alternative construction materials.

Insight

3D printing is an industry that is already sustainable right now. The process produces a fraction of the waste of traditional construction manufacturing, because builders simply print exactly and only what they need.

It only requires a small factory with minimal space for storage materials, and unlike a traditional production line, 3D printing does not require energy to move the same parts from one step to the next.

However, some builders using green processes still rely on traditional materials, such as cement. Cement alone is responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions, virtually eliminating any positive impact on the environment that 3D printing can deliver.

The benefits of alternative construction methods like 3D printing are clear

Sustainable materials are already available today. For example, polymer composite is as strong and durable as concrete – the synthetic stone developed by Mighty Buildings weighs 30% less than concrete and has five times the tensile and flexural strength.

These innovative materials can be stored in compact liquid or semi-liquid form in barrels, which helps keep factory footprint small. The environmental benefits continue once a building is printed, as polymer composite is a superior insulator to traditional materials, minimizing the emissions of the house during its lifetime, as it’s lived in and used.

Despite the benefits of alternative construction methods using sustainable materials, their widespread use still requires support from regulators, customers, and the builders themselves.

With rising housing costs regularly making headlines, pricing is a barrier to widespread customer demand for greener construction alternatives.

While it’s true that new generation housing currently costs more than traditional construction, as scale increases and 3D printed construction continues to become more efficient, the prices will lower, achieving an economy of scale.