Will 3D-built commercial buildings ever see their day?

Building commercial structures using 3D printing techniques may sound great, but will their time ever come? The prospect of 3D printing a commercial building, as cool as it sounds, is yet another in the long list of technological ideas whose time has not come and probably never will come. It’s also an idea that carpenters, contractors, construction professionals and masons may not appreciate.

Builders, architects and engineers understand that materials for a structural frame, whether it be walls, roof, or floors, represent a small fraction of a final, completed commercial building. Even if you could use 3D printing to cut framing costs in half, the total building costs and selling price would be cut by a largely insignificant amount.

Just consider everything that goes into building a modern structure:

• Windows and doors
• Insulation
• Plumbing
• Fixtures
• HVAC systems
• Cabinetry
• Appliances
• Office space
• Utility connections
• Landscaping
• And more!

Not only do these direct costs preclude finishing by a 3D printer, but there are many indirect costs related to a finished structure. There are regulatory and processing fees related to zoning and building permits. You’ve also got legal fees, construction loan interest, insurance, advertising, project management and so much more.

The challenge for modern builders is that an incremental cost saving on one component of building a structure can be offset by the necessity to change other build factors just to accommodate the 3D printing element. You must also consider outside factors. Construction costs are rising rapidly right now thanks to inflationary pressures. Previously planned projects are being squeezed because of high prices for raw materials, supply chain issues and rising interest rates.

These problems are all interdependent and related to one another. And they are also why construction innovation is often impeded by pricing pressures. To make matters even more difficult, development policies and local zoning issues create headaches for contractors and construction professionals. Adopting an entirely new methodology for foundational work simply complicates the issue further.

Obviously, challenges like these are not new. Technological innovation and exploration are constant works in progress. Could we one day see commercial structures built using advanced 3D printing technologies? Perhaps. But today, with everything going on in the world, it’s highly unlikely we will see widespread adoption of 3D technologies in construction. Here at AGC of Washington, we’re all for advances in construction and contracting, but we as always, remain realists.