Transforming construction? Evaluation of the state of structural 3D concrete printing in research and practice

Additive manufacturing in construction has witnessed exponential growth over the recent years. In this paper, advancements in 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) in additive construction are explored. The authors synthesize the states of research and practice of 3DCP technology for construction through an extensive examination of 137 projects and various publications. Insights are provided into the key factors influencing 3DCP structural performance. The technology is shown to be advantageous, although with varying benefits observed in different cases, including but not limited to reduced cost, labor requirements, material, and construction time. Nevertheless, challenges, such as limited control over the quality, unexplored long-term performance, being countercost-effective in certain circumstances, manual intervention during printing, and the absence of adapted code and regulations are identified. It is found that the practiced 3DCP construction automates some but not all aspects of traditional construction.