Concrete Canoe Capstone Project; Building the Future: The Role of 3D-Printed Concrete in Affordable Housing Solutions

In a world where affordable housing is scarce, 3D-printed concrete (3DPC) offers a cost effective and sustainable solution. My capstone project investigates the feasibility of utilizing 3DPC technology to fabricate a concrete canoe that will be competitive at the annual American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student symposium. This research aims to provide innovative improvements to concrete canoe design that set the future UVA Concrete Canoe teams up for success in the competition. My STS research paper explores several different case studies that prove implementing 3D-printing technology is a viable solution to the affordable housing crisis. As the affordable housing crisis becomes more extreme, 3D-printing provides a cost efficient, durable, and sustainable alternative to traditional construction methods. My capstone research and STS paper provide both hands on and theoretical experience with 3DPC. My capstone has allowed me to gain a more technical understanding of 3DPC, while my STS paper has allowed me to understand its societal implications.

There is always room for improvement and innovation within the Concrete Canoe competition. 3DPC is one technology that could set the UVA Concrete Canoe team apart from their competition. 3DPC provides a method of building a concrete canoe that is efficient, fast, repeatable, and sustainable. Working with the printer at UVA, the team has developed a process of printing that involves printing sections of the canoe individually and utilizing a post-tensioning system to connect the pieces. While working with the 3D-printer, it was determined that the printer was not in working order. The team decided to pivot to making hand-poured sections that replicate the properties of the sections if they were 3D-printed. The designs for the concrete mix, as well as the post tensioning system remained the same and can be applied to a 3D-printed canoe at UVA.

The team was able to put together a compilation of recommendations for future UVA Concrete Canoe teams on 3D-printing a concrete canoe. The team developed a printable concrete mix design comprised of fly ash, pumice sand, and other binding cementitious materials that produced a compressive strength of over 5000 psi. The team also developed a design for a post-tensioning system with detailed calculations for both a scale model and full-size concrete canoe. Finally, a process for developing the hull design and geometric code (G-code) to input into the 3D-printer was established.

Innovation in the affordable housing sector is crucial to meeting the high demand for affordable housing worldwide. My STS paper researches the question of “how could 3DPC technology revolutionize the affordable housing industry through its increased sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and process efficiency?” Currently, 7.1 million more affordable rental homes are needed for extremely low-income families in the United States. This gap will continue to grow as traditional construction methods struggle to meet this demand efficiently, creating a pressing need for innovative solutions in the housing sector. 3DPC is a technology that is prepared to meet this challenge with improved efficiency, cost effectiveness, and sustainability. My research employs a document analysis approach, enabling a comprehensive examination of multiple case studies and articles that offer diverse perspectives and evidence. I also utilize the STS framework of Technological Momentum to assist in my analysis of how 3DPC has been used in the affordable housing industry so far.

After reviewing three different case studies that took place in South Africa, Austin, Texas, and Virginia Tech, I was able to gain a comprehensive understanding of how 3DPC is being used to improve the affordable housing industry. This research has demonstrated that 3DPC has the potential to address the global housing crisis by reducing construction costs, shortening construction durations and minimizing environmental impact. While 3DPC alone may not solve the global affordable housing crisis, it is a transformative innovation that, if properly supported and integrated, has the potential to redefine how we build for the future.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Technical Advisor: Ryan Henry

STS Advisor: Pedro Francisco

Technical Team Members: Paxton Gunn, Nicholas Lacy, Yajaira Membreno Lara, Dervon Parchment, Mason Pearce