Motivation and research problem

The construction industry is responsible for a significant portion of global CO2 emissions. Moreover, the construction industry is exposed to risks associated with labor shortage, rising labor cost, and low productivity. To reduce CO2 emissions and increase construction productivity, additive-manufacturing-based construction methods that utilize sustainable materials with low-embodied energy, such as earth, may be adopted. Additive manufacturing of earth structures, or "earth printing", represents an emerging, climate-friendly technology with the potential to reduce carbon emissions, customize designs, and improve productivity in the construction industry. However, extensive testing of earth structures is essential to ensure usability, energy efficiency, comfort, and safety, thereby being instrumental in decreasing CO2 emissions and overall energy consumption throughout the lifecycle of earth structures. While numerous projects have utilized additive manufacturing methods with earthen materials for the construction of earth structures, digitalization of earth printing has received little attention.

Research objectives and expected results

The primary goal of the proposed research project is to study the digitalization of earth printing to advance the construction industry towards climate-informed engineering. The project is structured into four main work packages:

• Analysis of the economic feasibility of implementing earth printing in construction
• Analysis of the performance of additively manufactured earth structures under varying loading patterns and environmental conditions
• Investigation of the suitability of wood as a reinforcement material and the effects of such reinforcements on additively manufactured earth structures
• Deployment of embedded sensing technologies for digitalization and structural health monitoring of additively manufactured earth structures

In summary, additive manufacturing has the potential to transform the construction industry towards more resilient and sustainable engineering, using clay and wood as building materials. To accomplish the research objectives of the proposed project, an "Earth-printing Lab" will be set up together with the industry partner (HC Hagemann). The Earth-printing Lab is further expected to achieve a basis for larger follow-on research and to provide an innovative, interdisciplinary environment for TUHH students to engage in hands-on research.