3D Printed Houses – Dream or Reality for the Serbian Market?

In short, 3D printers use a special concrete mixture that they extrude layer by layer, following a predefined digital object model. This method of construction allows significantly shorter construction time (days instead of months), less material and waste consumption, reducing the number of workers on the ground, lower cost compared to traditional construction and the possibility of customizing the design at no additional cost.

Such houses already exist in the Netherlands, France, USA and Mexico, and some of them are used as homes for the homeless, tourist accommodation and even as family homes.

- The construction industry and the market in Serbia are quite conservative and they accept new technologies very slowly and with considerable distrust, especially during this period of intense construction. In such conditions, well-known technological solutions and materials are used for construction, and no one from the entire chain - from investors to designers to contractors - wants to "experiment" and test innovative materials and construction methods, but opts for common materials - concrete, steel, wood and standard building methods. Viewed in this way, currently there is little room for the application of 3D printing, but the potential is actually enormous - Ivan Ignjatović, a professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Belgrade, tells eKapija.

If the obstacles are removed, this technology could be used in the rapid construction of social housing, low-budget tourist facilities (cottages, glamping), rural areas with low availability of contractors and as temporary facilities in case of disasters.

- 3D printed concrete objects can be applied in situations when it is necessary to solve the issue of housing people quickly after natural disasters - earthquakes, floods, landslides, or provide housing for sensitive and socially vulnerable groups. They can also be used as exhibition pavilions, offices or small stores. In addition to buildings, 3D printing technology can be used to construct even pedestrian bridges of a smaller span, usually through parks, over canals and other minor obstacles. It is especially important to highlight the potential in the field of assembly-dismantling facilities, where the production, i.e. 3D printing takes place in prefabrication, and segments are assembled in the field to form permanent or temporary objects - the professor says.

- Apart from construction objects, 3D printing is also successfully applied in the production of urban furniture - bench, chair, furniture, for production of facade elements, ornaments, etc. Therefore, there is significant potential in this segment as well - adds Ignjatović.

Although 3D printing in construction around the world has already shown that it is not inferior to traditional construction methods when it comes to the load-bearing capacity and safety of buildings,

in Serbia, this technology is still at the very beginning of development. The professor of the Faculty of Civil Engineering explains that safety and mechanical stability are the basic requirements that all buildings, regardless of construction technology, must meet.

- For any innovative technology, the first implementation is crucial, to convince the first investor that he will get a unique object in all respects, and the way to such a decision leads through the architects, who should recognize the aesthetic and functional values in the concept of 3D printing - he believes.

- The key thing is the construction product`s performance, in this case, a 3D printed construction element (wall, pillar) or the construction as a whole - if it proves to meet the requirements regarding load capacity, usability and durability as well as classically built elements - there is no obstacle for application. Therefore, the absence of standards must not hinder innovation in construction, but basic facility requirements must be met. As for the material, it is interesting that there is a commercial product on our market that is used for 3D printing - Sika premix, and there was another successful example of the development of a premix for 3D printing in cooperation between Lafarge and the Natura Eco start-up. Expert staff is necessary for the application of 3D printing, but I am convinced that for the new, young, digitally literate generations, the creation of the so-called G-code that is, the movement path of the printer head should be both a challenge and a pleasure - Ignjatović points out.

This technology is already being used in infrastructure work - for example, in automated lining of tunnels by replacing shotcrete concrete, so-called shortcrete 3D method. However, the professor is cautious when it comes to its application to more complex systems such as bridges.

The future of 3D printing, according to Professor Ignjatović, is located in areas that can take maximum advantage of this technology.

3D printing in construction is not a reality for Serbia yet, but could become so in the near future.

As the world moves towards automation and sustainable construction, it is only a matter of time when the domestic market will start to accept this technology. It remains to be seen whether it will be an initiative from the private sector, the support of local self-governments or the need arising from emergency situations.