With the global housing deficit looming as a monumental challenge, the emergence of 3D printing technology in construction offers a beacon of hope. From the United Arab Republic to the heartland of the United States, innovative companies are harnessing the power of 3D printing to revolutionize housing projects, promising faster construction times and reduced costs. This transformative technology has captured the imagination of affordable housing advocates worldwide, presenting a potential game-changer in addressing the housing crisis. However, the realization of its full potential hinges on overcoming various hurdles, from regulatory adaptations to investment in infrastructure and reimagining the housing value chain. As we embark on this journey toward sustainable and inclusive housing solutions, it becomes evident that 3D printing is just the tip of the iceberg in the broader innovation required to tackle this pressing global issue.

From Nigeria to the Netherlands, construction companies are utilizing 3D printing technology to break new ground on housing projects. 3D printing could be our century’s revolutionary printing process, similar to the significance of Gutenberg’s printing press in the 1400s. In 2016 the United Arab Republic, which imports upwards of 70 percent of its labor, became the first country to promote 3D printing in its construction industry, setting a 25 percent target by 2030. Habitat for Humanity built its first 3D house in Virginia last year in half the time – and 15 percent less cost– than a traditional wooden structure. A Texas-based start-up that has already delivered more than two dozen 3D-printed concrete structures in the US and Mexico – half of them to house homeless or extremely poor people – has recently lined up upwards of $200 million from eager investors who believe that such unicorns have the potential to disrupt an industry ripe for change.

This new technology has fired up the imaginations of affordable housing advocates around the world who see producing new and resilient housing quickly and affordably as a “game-changer.” The housing sector is ripe for change with over 1.6 billion people living in substandard housing and another 100 million homeless today.  The odds that this latest breakthrough in printing technology could revolutionize the industry and fill the housing deficit will depend on its ability to initiate change and offer net benefits in at least the following three areas: value-chain affordability, employment impacts, and carbon footprint.

Beyond Brick & Mortar and Across the Housing Value Chain
Every dollar counts when it comes to affordable housing. 3D printing promises to dramatically cut construction time and costs. But for 3D printing to truly reach its potential, it will require a lot more investment to enable the additional cost reductions necessary to make an effective impact.

Significant barriers remain. Very few housing experts are familiar with the technology. Regulators have yet to adapt building codes and permit processing to the technology. Innovation also be required across the housing sector’s value chain in terms of land use and infrastructure. For example, in most urban areas the cost of land far exceeds the cost of construction. 3D construction has focused on low-rise single-family housing – its adoption for vertical, high-rise housing will be critical to solving the global housing deficit.

Employment
Historically, introduction of new technologies has caused significant job market shifts, and 3D-printed housing will have similar impacts. For decades, automation has been eliminating low-skilled jobs in rich countries. For emerging economies, where construction jobs are a significant source of employment, 3D printing may prove to be an even greater threat.

Advocates are quick to counter that more than half of those jobs displaced by 3D printing could be trained for higher-paying jobs such as operating and maintaining the 3D printing machinery, or developing new software. There are already encouraging indications that the shift to 3D printing for housing is enabling increased participation of women in the construction industry.

Climate Change 
In Malawi, 3D printing is reported to have reduced construction waste by almost 10x and to have reduced CO2 emissions by up to 70%.  It also reduced emissions due to transportation when building in remote areas, reportedly by as much as two tons per printed home. But building technology alone will not stall climate change without smarter urban planning, improved access to transportation, and increased housing density.

The climate savings of the very greenest house, if constructed on the periphery of a city, will be consumed in that household’s carbon cost to commute to jobs in the inner city. Although 3D printing has proven it can build single-family houses more quickly and affordably than traditional methods, to meet global housing demand sustainably its next challenge will be to produce high-rise, green multi-family buildings.
 
Conclusion
The global housing deficit is massive, and solving it will require far more innovation than only 3D printing. If you compare the solution to the global housing deficit to an iPhone, 3D printing is just a new and improved screen, not the entire device. Other comparably innovative new parts will also be required, including reinvented urban models, different kinds of housing typology, greener transportation solutions, and new financing methods. A comprehensive solution will require rethinking and innovation across the entire housing value chain.