A 3D concrete printing prefabrication platform for bespoke columns

Abstract

Recent developments in computational design and digital fabrication with concrete enable the realization of freeform geometries that optimize material use. 3D Concrete extrusion Printing (3DCP) is presently one of the most utilized digital fabrication methods with concrete. The expected advantages of 3DCP result from shaping concrete without formwork and from placing material only where functionally required. Although these advantages were pointed out more than 20 years ago, it is difficult to find competitive examples and their usage in real buildings. Consequently, the nonspecific character of the process acts as a shortcoming by opening up extensive possibilities without a clear direction. This paper proposes an automated 3DCP prefabrication platform for customized columns. The process-specific parameters are, therefore, fine-tuned for high-quality products with diverse forms and textures. Additionally, this paper proposes an evaluation method for geometric complexity and identifies the types of column typologies that may benefit from a 3DCP prefabrication platform.