Robotic 3D printing of concrete building components for residential buildings in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This article presents the development and validation of a design-to-fabrication framework aiming to improve the efficiency of fabricating reinforced concrete building components for housing projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by incorporating 3D concrete printing technology. In particular, the research presents an algorithmic framework to mass customise a typical Saudi Arabian free standing house by utilising parametric modelling, topology optimization (TO), finite element analysis (FEA), and robotic 3D printing tools and techniques. The framework was validated by the fabrication of optimised reinforced concrete columns and by testing their structural performance under the Saudi Building Code (SBC 304). The findings demonstrate the benefits and drawbacks of the proposed framework and compare it to current Saudi conventional construction approaches. The paper also addresses the need for mass customisation in the construction industry of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia