The business case for 3D printing in the built environment

Additive manufacturing has matured from a method for prototyping and the fabrication of small, individualized parts to a technology that allows for 3D printing at the scale of buildings. However, the largest inhibitor for its application in the built environment remains the business case. Using the example of nesting bricks that can be integrated into clinker brick facades, the present work explores necessary conditions for the economic use of 3D printing in the construction context. We show that business cases for additive manufacturing in the build environment exist and analyze the technology's potential to scale processes that require intense manual work into industrialized fabrication.