How is 3D printing affecting architecture?

The architectural craft is part of a wave of industries that are being changed by 3D printing. While the press has been discussing large format 3D printing of office buildings in Dubai, many fundamental, simple changes in workflow are already being utilised in architectural offices to improve the speed of design iterations and the quality of presentation details.

3D printing makes it easy to create and refine complex forms of modern architecture as visual models before construction begins. Architecture offices that maximise the use of additive technology will be better able to integrate visuals into presentations and understand the essence of additive manufacturing when it becomes applicable to architecture on a larger scale.

The leading image is Leonardo's glass cube in Bad Driburg, Germany (photo by Emanuel Raab)

Complex aesthetics in architecture

Over the past few decades, architecture has increasingly moved away from square shapes that result from constructing buildings that are as efficient as possible. The 19th century was characterised by grandiose architecture that focused on aesthetics. This resulted in beautiful buildings that paid little attention to the practicality of everyday use.

Twentieth century modernism shifted the pendulum far away from decoration - almost entirely towards functionality. The result was cities full of plazas. Postmodernism tried again to combine decorative architecture with modern materials, but the resulting "brutalism" was far from the elegance of pre-World War I architecture. As Walter Gropius, one of the intellectual leaders of the Bauhaus movement, stated:

Efficient workflows - 3D printing from architectural CAD

Architectural models can be sent to 3D printing directly from CAD because the same additive geometry is used as a starting point in both cases. This means that unlike other CAD modelling methods such as laser cutting, an architectural model is essentially an export print rather than a new design project.

Working in the same geometry eliminates a significant amount of work. However, tools continue to be developed to further simplify this process for novice users to optimise their design for printing in-house.

It is also possible to connect to various 3D printing services through online platforms to access additional materials and fast delivery times without having to hire additional staff or buy additional machines.

Direct integration into key industry software platforms such as Revit and Rhino is also developing. Architects don't even need to log out of their existing software to send models to industrial 3D printing services. For the average architectural firm, 3D printing represents a big leap forward in the speed and quality of idea iteration.

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