LCA of Digital Fabrication Applied to Concrete Structures

Abstract

Digital fabrication represents innovative, computer-controlled technologies with the potential to expand the boundaries in architecture and construction. The potential to produce elements directly from design information has become an integral part of modern product development and only recently finds first applications in full architectural scale. Studies have revealed the potential of digital technology to reduce resources, energy and emissions. On an architectural scale, quantitative comparisons between digital fabrication and conventional construction processes are missing. This study aims to investigate the environmental opportunities of digital fabrication in construction.

Two case studies of concrete structures are analysed with the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. The environmental impact of the digital fabrication process, including the flow of materials, the embodied energy of the digital technology and the energy demand during construction, is determined. The sustainability is compared to traditional construction processes to study the environmental potential of the digital production process.

The environmental assessment performed showed that the impact of the projects mainly depended on the building material production. The contribution of the digital fabrication process was minimal and could be neglected. The optimization of the material use has priority and benefits from the high accuracy and the flawlessness of automated technologies. The comparison with conventional construction processes indicated a similar, slightly superior environmental performance of the digital fabrication.