The International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction
Publications / 2025 Proceedings of the 42nd ISARC, Montreal, Canada
Economic Viability of 3D Concrete Printing: A Comparative Study with Traditional Construction Method
The construction sector's considerable environmental impact has led to a growing demand for sustainable construction technologies. This study aims to compare the cost and environmental impact of traditional construction and 3D printing construction processes, starting from the supply of raw materials to the final construction and construction waste disposal. Based on the factors identified (raw material, printing equipment, transportation, warehousing, construction and waste disposal), traditional construction and 3D printing value streams are mapped to assess the potential factors or activities contributing to the cost and environmental burden. The results showed that 3D printing offers nearly 80% lower cost at the construction phase than traditional construction. However, 3D printing hardly reduces the total cost by only 0.96% and even produces significantly higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than traditional construction due to the significant transportation cost of raw materials and 3D printing equipment. The higher transportation costs in 3D printing are mainly due to the lack of a well-established market for 3D printing equipment and raw material supply. Futuristic scenario analysis revealed that 3D printing could reduce the total construction cost (starting from raw material and equipment supply to construction waste disposal) by 61% when the infrastructure for 3D printing is established in the same way as traditional construction. The findings of this study explored the sustainability potential of 3D printing and offered insights for its application in construction projects.
