HP INNOVATION FALL / WINTER 2022 51 emissions from transport , as fewer trucks need to be sent to construction sites . But material reduction via optimization is where the biggest gains stand to be made .
With 3D printing , designers are able to use the minimal amount of material necessary to make a structure sturdy , often through strategically placed branches and hollows . This is why computationally designed forms so often recall the shapes of tree trunks , leaves , shells , or insect nests — in nature , structures have perfectly adapted and optimized to their environment over millions of years , and architects and engineers are emulating this via
biomimicry .
The potential for a beneficial environmental impact is highest in the case of concrete . This single material notoriously causes
around 8 % of total global carbon dioxide emissions Hyperion Robotics in Finland . Instead of a typical square or rectangular shape , it ’ s printed with support struts that almost resemble tree roots , and it uses only one-quarter of the concrete found in traditional foundations .
The attractions of 3D printing are clear : material efficiency , lower costs , fast turnarounds , all while incorporating more varied and idiosyncratic aesthetics . Just as our urban structures were transformed by the development of cheap industrial steel , it could be that a disruption as large as the skyscraper lies ahead of us .
“ I suspect the true impact of 3D printing will not be doing the same things faster or with less labor , but in seeing more customized living within increasingly standardized buildings ,” says Morgan . “ It ’ s something that is able to be quickly deployed , yet flexible enough to be personalized , and adaptable to a complex and continually changing world .”