DfAM Framework for Prefabricated 3DP Building Components with Cellular Infills (2026-01)¶

The construction industry must innovate to address pressing environmental challenges, including resource scarcity, greenhouse gas emissions, and high energy consumption. With buildings consuming about 40% of total energy in the EU, optimizing façade design is critical for enhancing sustainability. Additive Manufacturing (AM) enables the efficient creation of customized site-specific building components through optimized geometries, improving material efficiency and potentially reducing energy use. This research presents a Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) workflow for prefabricated clay components produced via Liquid Deposition Modelling (LDM). These components feature mixed infills, combining closed and open cellular structures such as Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS). Although TPMS have already been extensively applied and researched in other domains, their potential remains underexplored in the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. The workflow leverages algorithmic design tools like Grasshopper, integrating implicit and explicit modelling methods to manipulate both conformal and non-conformal lattices. This study also introduces WASPer3DP, an open-source Grasshopper plugin that addresses slicing, G-code generation, and printing path optimization. The proposed framework bridges design and fabrication. Furthermore, it facilitates future integration with performance-based design methods to develop high-performance façades that balance aesthetic and functional criteria. Future work will focus on expanding to additional building components and integrating analytical, numerical, and experimental assessment methods for hygrothermal characterization.