For many years, often spoken in tones of anticipation and excitement, we have heard that 3D printing will revolutionize the architecture industry as we know it. But if we stop for a moment, reflect on the present and look back at the past, it becomes evident that the technology has long been reshaping the field, continuously undergoing profound transformations and ushering in new eras of design, construction and spatial creativity. Operating as a layer-by-layer additive manufacturing process, 3D printing uses digital models to create customized three-dimensional objects with a remarkable level of precision and efficiency, saving time, generating zero waste, reducing labor costs and opening avenues for rapid prototyping and iterative design. It enables architects to explore creative opportunities and regain autonomy by designing complex, non-standardized elements within an industrial and mass-customized process.
Today, the possibilities that 3D printing offers in the field are virtually limitless. While it once served to merely bring tabletop architecture models to life, the technology can now be used in large-scale production to build homes and entire communities with multiple materials –as common and massive as concrete or as readily available as raw earth. The not-so-distant future looks even more promising, with potential applications ranging from temporary shelters and affordable housing, to living buildings, large urban areas and even outer space colonies. But to understand how we got here and prepare for the days ahead, it's important to go back to the beginning.
Many think 3D printers came about by surprise and suddenly became popular. Far from it; their story can be traced back to 1939, when inventor William E. Urschel created the first ever 3D printed concrete building behind a small warehouse in Indiana, United States. His so-called “Wall Building Machine” consisted of an automatic ramming mechanism that compressed the concrete between spinning disks, consolidating and smoothing each layer as the material was extruded. A lot has happened since then in the evolutionary tale of 3D printing; it's a story that remains unfinished.
Below, we embark on a journey through time to revisit the major milestones that have molded the trajectory of 3D printing in architecture, propelling it to its current status and unlocking the doors to a bright future.
Delve deeper into the history of 3D printing in the industry with this selection of articles published on ArchDaily (from the 2010s onwards):
- Manifestations: The Immediate Future of 3D Printing Buildings and Materials Science
- First 3D Printed House to Be Built In Amsterdam
- Chinese Firm 3D Prints 10 Homes in 24 Hours
- Arup Develops 3D Printing Technique for Structural Steel
- Skanska and Foster + Partners Collaborate on World’s First 3D Concrete Printing Robot
- Emerging Objects Invents Earthquake-Proof 3D Printed Column
- Chinese Company Constructs the World's Tallest 3D Printed Building
- This Complex Concrete Column Was Made Using 3D-Printed Formwork
- World's Largest 3D-Printed Concrete Pedestrian Bridge Completed in China
- Dubai Municipality to Become the World's Largest 3D-Printed Building
- ETH Zurich Develops 3D-Printed Concrete Columns
- 3D Printing for Residential is Market-Ready: Germany's First Building is Under Construction
- Round Houses of Raw Earth: 3D Printing Sustainable Homes in 200 Hours
- The Future Is Now: 3D Printed Houses Start To Be Inhabited in the Netherlands
- ICON Completes First House in New Series of Additive Construction Explorations
- Building Complex Elements in Concrete with 3D Printed Foam Formworks
- NASA and AI Space Factory Develop a 3D Printed Lunar Structure
- Nature and Technology: Walls That Can Grow Plants
- 3D Printing Lightweight, Insulated Walls Using Cement-Free Mineral Foam
- BIG, ICON, and Lennar Complete the First 3D-Printed Model House at the Wolf Ranch Community in Austin, Texas
