Hot on the heels of last month’s story about the secret of ancient Rome’s super-resilient concrete (see “Cold Hard Facts,” April 2023) comes news of a breakthrough in 3D concrete printing. Researchers at the University of Michigan’s DART (Digital Architecture Research and Technologies) lab have developed a new method for creating what they describe as “ultra-lightweight, waste-free concrete.”
The most widely used approach to 3D concrete printing on construction sites involves layering mortar in horizontal bands parallel to the ground, which limits structures to simple, right-angle shapes. Michigan’s “Shell Wall” approach uses topology optimization—“a technique that generates the most efficient distribution of material based on performance criteria, such as strength or weight, for a given set of support,” according to a Michigan news release—to allow for more intricate shapes printed with the least amount of material, exactly where it’s needed.
“All of these factors combined,” says Michigan architecture professor Mania Aghaei Meibodi, “mean that we can build better, more environmentally friendly structures at a lower cost.”
