Construction project organisation for 3D printing technology

Abstract

The integration of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology into construction projects potentially yields many benefits, such as reduced site labour requirements, safer manoeuvring of project deadlines and budgets, and more effective waste management. However, the momentum of technology is not as expected owing to the lack of standardised processes and methodologies, and challenges imposed by the new technology. The organisational structure of such projects must be comprehensively studied. Studies on construction projects using the 3D printing technology are lacking. This study reviews the existing studies and three different case studies in Germany, United Kingdom, and United States of America to explore the primary differences between the roles, responsibilities, and interactions of key project participants within the organisational structure of construction projects using the 3D printing technology. The roles and responsibilities of clients/investors, project manager/construction managers, architects, structural engineers, quantity surveyor/project supervisor, and contractors/main contractors have been considered. Therefore, all features of the role of key participants and responsibilities to the new momentum created by this emerging technology must be aligned; otherwise, the combination of new technology and conventional organisation will reduce the value created by the new technology.

From Process to System: A Review on the Implications of Concrete 3D Printing on Project Delivery

“…In particular, the necessary boundary conditions of different printing strategies (in situ or full-building print) and methods, but also the possibilities of different printing parameters such as filament size and width, as well as material-technological dependencies such as printing time, can vary greatly. Therefore, they must be integrated into the design process at an early stage [15][16][17]. Designers will need to understand the limitations of 3D printing systems and take them into account in their designs, as not all designs are 'printable' [15].…”

“…Therefore, they must be integrated into the design process at an early stage [15][16][17]. Designers will need to understand the limitations of 3D printing systems and take them into account in their designs, as not all designs are 'printable' [15]. Moreover, C3DP requires early design using a digital model in order to be able to integrate subsequent manufacturing and assembly processes into the 3D printing planning process [18].…”

“…This makes it possible to create a high degree of planning reliability [18]. According to [15], however, it will no longer be possible to plan during the construction phase because the planning effort for 3D printing will increase. As a justification for this, it can be added that planning would be subject to fundamental changes to a yet unknown extent and that individual phases of the planning would have to be repeated.…”

“…The design and planning process for printed structures (in this case buildings) is similar to that for conventional buildings (masonry or reinforced concrete) [12,15,18]. Similarly, the (3D printing) design process starts with the owner working with the designer to define the owner and project objectives [15,18].…”

“…The design and planning process for printed structures (in this case buildings) is similar to that for conventional buildings (masonry or reinforced concrete) [12,15,18]. Similarly, the (3D printing) design process starts with the owner working with the designer to define the owner and project objectives [15,18]. At present, the initial design process of conventional (cast-in-place) concrete structures does not pay much attention to a manufacturable and constructable design [15].…”