IMPACT OF 3D TECHNOLOGY ON

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

The changes brought by advanced technology to the architecture are related to Industrial
Revolution innovations such as electricity, steel and elevators, concept of skyscraper and
structure. Today it can be witnessed that idea of architectural project is not same as it was twenty
years before. Today in the digital age, architects have found new ways of representing,
generating and constructing buildings through the digital information (Stott, 2013; Ting &
Sicheng, 2013).
Digital technology enables difficult calculations & variety of complex structures to be
made with precision and ease through computer algorithms & these have increased possibilities
in the architecture design. Digital technologies allow direct relation between what can be
designed & what can be built, also they provide real image for building before it is actually built.
One of the most recognized digital technology that has revolutionized architecture is 3D
technology (Grozdanic, 2016).
3D printing technology was invented by an American Engineer, Chuck Hall. Initially the
process was called stereolithography. The technique links molecules through use of laser light for
forming polymers into solid shapes. The advantage of 3D printing is that no molds are needed
and it does not create any waste unlike milling where shape has to be cut and material around it
is discarded. Objects are constructed layer by layer in 3D printing. The idea inspired from
printing with ink; in which the ink lied on top of paper. If the process is repeated several times
but with more solid materials and a slight shift for creating movement in layers, a 3D printing
effect occurs (Zimmermann, 2016).
3D printing allows creation of complex forms of modern architecture and these can be
refined as visual models prior to construction. As 3D printing is becoming more widely

available, architecture firms realize the potential of using them in modeling of their designs. 3D
printing allows the designs to be created with outstanding degree of accuracy irrespective of the
complexity of the design. Since 3D printing allows for high level of detail without any real tradeoff to time cost, it enables architectures to approach an art form more like sculpture (Chalcraft,
2013).
One of the major advantage of 3D printing in architecture is productivity gain. Time is
saved by 3D printing as early creation and design reduces lead-time for architectural model
production & allows quick testing on iterations & concepts. While it can take many days for
building architectural models manually, 3D printing is able to provide results in few hours. 3D
printer can carry out operations overnight for those models that are large and can take longer
time to print. 3D printing also allows testing many concepts earlier in project for swiftly
identifying potential structure issues which otherwise would be harder to spot over computer
simulations (Lu, et al., 2015).
In short, 3D printing has revolutionized the architecture industry providing the
architectures new tools for precise creation of the designs. The advantages which the 3D printing
technology provide surpass every other technology in the field and soon 3D printing will take
over the architectural industry.

References
Chalcraft, E., (2013). In the future we might print not only buildings, but entire urban sections.
[Online]
Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2013/05/21/3d-printing-architecture-print-shift/
[Accessed 19 January 2017].
Grozdanic, L., (2016). The Art of Rendering: How Technology Will Revolutionize Architectural
Representations. [Online]
Available at: http://architizer.com/blog/the-art-of-rendering-cgarchitect/
[Accessed 1 19 2017].
Lu, B., Li, D. & Tian, X., (2015). Development Trends in Additive Manufacturing and 3D
Printing. Engineering , 1(1), pp. 85-89.
Stott, R., (2013). Architecture's Brave New Digital World. [Online]
Available at: http://www.archdaily.com/409057/architecture-s-brave-new-digital-world
[Accessed 19 January 2017].
Ting, H. & Sicheng, J., (2013). Influence of Digital Computer Technology on Architectural
Design Teaching Mode. In: D. Li & Y. Chen, eds. Computer and Computing Technologies in
Agriculture . Beijing : Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 123-127.
Zimmermann, E., (2016). What the Future Holds for 3-D Printing in Architecture and Design.
[Online]
Available at: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/57915631/list/what-the-future-holds-for-3-d-

printing-in-architecture-and-design
[Accessed 19 January 2017].