Environmental, Structural, and Economic Investigation of 3D-Printed Concrete Buildings with Varying Cross-Sectional Geometries (2026-04)¶

The construction industry is moving towards Industry 4.0, integrating 3D printing into practice. However, existing research often treats structural, environmental, and economic aspects in isolation, lacking a holistic evaluation of building-scale performance under seismic demands. This study addresses this gap by comparing two building-scale 3D printed concrete (3DPC) designs with five types of wall section geometries (filled, carved, square, rectangular, and triangular) in terms of environmental, structural, and economic considerations. The study proposes a holistic preliminary design option and evaluation methodology for 3DPC wall systems in seismic zones. The examined section geometries were selected to reflect commonly adopted practical design approaches, aiming to systematically investigate the trade-offs between loadbearing capacity and material efficiency, ranging from completely filled systems to more material-efficient configurations. The buildings are two-story, and their wall thicknesses are 150 mm and 300 mm. Initially, shear walls were considered as conventional reinforced concrete members. The demanded axial loads for shear walls were calculated for an area of high earthquake risk and compared with the ultimate axial loads of 3DPC walls based on the cross-sectional geometry. In conclusion, for the studied high seismic hazard case, considering axial safety, environmental compatibility, and economic performance, the carved type is the most favorable wall configuration for a 150 mm thickness. For a 300 mm thickness, the most favorable wall configuration depends on the architectural plan.