S. Mansour
Wohlers Associates, powered by ASTM International,
Canada
Keywords: additive manufacturing, construction,
Summary:
Additive Manufacturing is slated to play a key role in construction to address global humanitarian and sector specific challenges. Just in the US alone, 5.5 million housing units need to be completed in the next 20 years in order to close the existing housing gap. This scope of work does not take into account future population growth, existing infrastructure that is in dire need of repair, or the global housing crisis. The construction sector is suffering from a continuously shrinking labour force, challenges in ensuring jobsite safety, issues with efficiency and productivity, growing lead times, and spiking material costs. There is an increasing focus on sustainability and environmental awareness especially in exploring more eco-friendly approaches and materials. Additive Manufacturing is the “tool” to tackle these challenges first-hand. The presentation will address what Additive Manufacturing in Construction really is, socioeconomic factors pushing to rethink traditional construction methods, the implementation of new sustainable materials and approaches, the human impact the technology brings specifically in tackling the housing shortage and the labour force crisis, and what initiatives are in place to enable AM as a common tool in construction.