Construction 3D printing promises many advantages over traditional methods. It is often hailed as faster, cheaper and more sustainable than typical builds. However, there is still room for improvement. Concrete, the most commonly used material for construction 3D printing, leaves a huge carbon footprint. Researchers have worked on improving these formulas—a team at the University of Virginia developed concrete that lowers construction 3D printing carbon emissions by 31 percent earlier this year—but the work is not over. This month, the United Kingdom’s Northumbria University announced that they installed a construction 3D printer on campus. Their mission is to test and validate concrete elements that could be adopted by the industry, in hopes that it could help sustainably alleviate the regional housing shortage.
Northumbria’s Structures Laboratory, a subset of its Mechanical and Construction Engineering Department, implemented the 3D printing construction technology through a partnership with Luyten 3D and ChangeMaker 3D. Luyten 3D is a global leader in 3D construction printer manufacturing, and ChangeMaker 3D is a sustainable technology company based in the UK. Financial support came from a Royal Society Research grant.
Construction 3D printing done by ChangeMaker 3D (Photo credits: ChangeMaker 3D)
The University’s research has the potential to greatly impact North East England’s housing industry, which is suffering from a low supply of social and non-social housing. In North East England, social housing waiting lists are the highest since 2012, increasing to over 75 thousand in 2023: a 51 percent increase from 2022. Rents and housing prices are faring no better. In 2022, 82 percent of the region’s landlords reported higher demand for rented housing, and only five percent planned to increase the number of rental properties in the following year.
Ahmed Mahil, Luyten 3D’s President and CEO, said his company is ready to answer the call. “Luyten3D is ready to contribute to increasing housing supply in the United Kingdom through their technology and are open to any discussions with those in the industry to help tackle the crisis at hand.” Hopefully, his company could do so efficiently. Luyten 3D claims its printers can construct most of a three-bedroom house structure in weeks, rather than months.
Construction 3D Printing for a Sustainable Future
In 2024, the UN Environment Programme reported that the construction sector accounts for about 21 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Concrete alone generates about eight percent of global carbon emissions. Northumbria’s Assistant Professor of Structural Engineering, Dr Mohammadali Rezazadeh is the project’s Principal Investigator. He explained that their goal was to develop sustainable infrastructure. “We are developing eco-friendly concrete mixes, reinforcing them with corrosion-resistant composite materials, and optimizing their designs to reduce material usage, shaping a more sustainable future in construction,” Dr. Rezazadeh said.
If you have seen 3D-printed buildings before, you may have noticed that they often have curved exterior walls, as opposed to the sharp corners we are accustomed to seeing in typical construction. That is because 3D printing construction, with the nozzle’s freedom of movement, allows for more fluid and organic structures. Similar geometries would be expensive to achieve with traditional building techniques, but with 3D printing, these details can be achieved without extra cost. Interestingly, these fluid structures can increase the building’s energy efficiency. With their new 3D printers, Northumbria University plans to explore how this works.
Luyten 3D’s Platypus construction 3D printer (Image Credits: Luyten 3D)
ChangeMaker 3D helped select and install the Luyten 3D Platypus in Northumbria’s lab. The company’s co-founder and CEO, Natalie Wadley expressed her hopes to integrate 3D concrete printing into all aspects of the UK construction sector. Students, of course, will also be able to benefit from the new technology. “We’re supporting our mission to deliver social value through skill development and preparing our future designers and engineers,” Wadley said.
Leveraging Local Partnerships
Luyten 3D’s Platypus concrete printer is ideal for the Structures Lab because it can quickly achieve complex geometrical structures, using biomimicry to create better weight-to-strength ratios with less concrete. The printer is smaller for a construction 3D printer, with a height and width of 1000 mm each. However, the length is customizable thanks to its dynamic mobile gantry system. The machine is ideal for pilot-testing small-scale versions of build elements. This is great for companies, who can collaborate with Northumbria University, and test long-term performance and durability of parts before full-scale projects commence.
Already, the Northumbria University team is bringing in outside players to benefit from the 3D printing construction technology. According to the university’s press release, they have looked into working with leading health, water and civil engineering organizations to support the development of sustainable hospital buildings, water tanks and green infrastructure. To learn more, read the press release here.
What do you think of Northumbria’s construction 3D printing initiative? Let us know in a comment below or on our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter here, the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.
*Cover Photo: From left to right: Northumbria Assistant Professor Mohammadali Rezazadeh, ChangeMaker3D Chief Executive Officer Natalie Wadley and Luyten3D President Ahmed Mahil