Digital Fabrication Strategies for Sustainability

Digital fabrication is the design and manufacturing workflow allowing for computer-guided additive and subtractive manufacturing. In construction, it opens up new possibilities for efficient and reduced use of materials, thanks to tailored design and bespoke serial production of structural elements. The Institute of Structural Design (ITE) for around a decade researches tools and strategies of additive and subtractive fabrication, with a particular focus on the process-material compatibility. These methods allow for placing a material of desired characteristics exactly where required to optimise form and properties, minimising material consumption and hence reducing the footprint of a structure. This paper discusses various fabrication strategies developed by ITE and its partners in interdisciplinary research, with a special focus on the potential towards bringing sustainability into architecture and construction sector. The discussed methods encompass Shotcrete 3D Printing, Robotic Rammed Earth, Large Particle 3D Concrete Printing, recyclable wax formwork, subtractive and additive manufacturing for the reuse and recycling of concrete, and Hybrid Wire-and-Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) I-beams. Each method is briefly introduced, and its potential impacts on sustainability are discussed.