In architecture, new materials rarely emerge.
That may soon change with advances in the field of large-scale additive manufacturing. Not since the adoption of the steel frame has there been a development with as much potential to transform the way buildings are conceived and constructed.
Large-scale additive manufacturing, like desktop 3D printing, involves building objects a layer at a time. Whether it’s clay, concrete or plastic, the print material is extruded in a fluid state and hardens into its final form.
As director of the Institute for Smart Structures at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, James Rose has been fortunate to work on a series of projects that deploy this new technology. Read his thoughts about its current forms and the opportunities ahead in his article for The Conversation.
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CONTACT:
Lindsey Owen McBee (865-974-6375, lowen8@utk.edu)