Evaluation of Post-Disaster Housing Production in Architecture Using 3d Printing Approaches within the Context of Sustainability

Year 2025, Volume: 2 Issue: 2, 22 - 32, 26.12.2025

Elif Gizem Yetkin

Abstract

This study examines the potential of 3D printing technology in architecture within the context of sustainability for addressing post-disaster housing needs. Developing rapid, cost-effective, durable, and environmentally friendly housing solutions after disasters is critically important for both social recovery and ecological balance. 3D printing technology stands out as an innovative method that can contribute to this process through reduced material usage, compatibility with recyclable resources, on-site production flexibility, and energy efficiency. The article addresses 3D printing applications in post-disaster sheltering through ecological, economic, and social sustainability criteria and evaluates international case studies to provide insights for potential applications in Turkey. Furthermore, the study discusses both the advantages offered by 3D printing in post-disaster housing production and its technical, regulatory, and cultural limitations. Thus, it highlights the intersections of digital construction techniques with sustainability principles in architectural practice and develops recommendations for innovative housing policies in the future. Ultimately, the research emphasizes that 3D printing technology should be considered a sustainable and feasible alternative for addressing post-disaster housing challenges.

Keywords

3D printing , sustainable architecture , post-disaster housing , ecological design

References

• [1] Hany Abulnour, A., “The post-disaster temporary dwelling: Fundamentals of provision, design and construction.” HBRC Journal, Vol. 10(1), Pages 10–24, 2014.
• [2] İlhan, H. B., “Afet Sonrası Rehabilitasyon Aşamasında Barınma Uygulamalarının Sürdürülebilirlik Doğrultusunda İrdelenmesi “ Yüksek Lisans Tezi, [Investigation of post-disaster shelter applications in the rehabilitation phase from a sustainability perspective] [Thesis in Turkish], İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, İstanbul, 2010.
• [3] Süzer, A., Yamaçlı, R., Afet Sonrası Sürdürülebilir Geçici Konut Tasarımı, Analiz ve Öneriler, YDÜ Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi / NEU Journal of Architecture Faculty, Vol. 6(1), Pages 68–85, 2024.
• [4] Sey, Y., Tapan, M., “Post-disaster housing and temporary shelter issue report” [Unpublished academic study]. Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey, 1987.
• [5] Takva, Ç., Top, S. M., Takva, Y., İlerisoy, Z. Y. “Post-disaster temporary housing structures and examination of their re-functioning.” In International Konya Art and Architecture Symposium / IKAAS’22 , Pages 200–201). Konya, Turkey, 2022.
• [6] Ergun, R., Kutlu, I., Bekar, I. “Assessment of the sustainability of prefabricated buildings utilised as post-disaster emergency educational facilities.” Turk Deprem Arastirma Dergisi, 6(2), 548–568, 2024.
• [7] Aşikoğlu, A., A study on energy efficiency in buildings constructed with prefabricated systems. Online Journal of Art & Design, 12(2), 2024.
• [8] Güner, Y. , “The evaluation of humanitarian actions conducted in the Gediz earthquake within the context of disaster management.” Journal of Society, Economy and Management (JSEM), 3(2), 121–150, 2024.
• [9] UNDRR., “Global assessment report on disaster risk reduction 2022.” https://www.undrr.org, September 8, 2025
• [10] Gkoumas, I., Mavridou, T., Seymour, V., Nanos, N., “Post-disaster housing and social considerations.” International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 105537, 2025.
• [11] Akşar, S., Öztürk, R. B., “An innovative design proposal combining sustainability and mobility for temporary housing.” Ege Mimarlık Dergisi, Vol. 126, Pages 58–69, 2025.
• [12] Yang, S., Kang, Y., Yuk, H., Kim, S., “Proposal of eco-friendly temporary housing to improve disaster response flexibility.” In ASim Conference 2024, Vol. 5, Pages 1352–1360). IBPSA-Asia, 2024.
• [13] Yavaşoğlu, F., Yavuz, K. B., Özdemir, M., Döner, E. D., “Effects of socio-demographic and cultural structure in temporary housing areas: Hatay, Ovakent Neighborhood.” İdealkent, Vol. 17(48), Pages 900–929, 2025.
• [14] Mehdizade, A., Ayoobi, A. W., Inceoğlu, M., “Applicable and flexible post-disaster housing through parametric design and 3D printing: A novel model for prototyping and deployment.” Sustainability, Vol. 17(16), Article number 7212, Pages 1-50, 2025.
• [15] AFAD, “Post-disaster housing strategies and technological approaches report”, https://www.afad.gov.tr, September 8, 2025.
• [16] Buswell, R. A., Leal de Silva, W. R., Jones, S. Z., Dirrenberger, J., “3D printing using concrete extrusion: A roadmap for research”, Cement and Concrete Research, Vol. 112, Pages 37–49, 2018.
• [17] Bos, F., Wolfs, R., Ahmed, Z., Salet, T., “Additive manufacturing of concrete in construction: Potentials and challenges”, Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 119, Pages 275–284, 2016.
• [18] Schutter, G. D., et al., “Vision of 3D printing with concrete – Technical, economic and environmental potentials”, Cement and Concrete Research, Vol. 112, Pages 25–36, 2018.
• [19] Perrot, A., Rangeard, D., Pierre, A., “Structural built-up of cement-based materials used for 3D-printing extrusion techniques”, Materials and Structures, Vol. 49, Pages 1213–1220, 2018.
• [20] WASP / Mario Cucinella Architects, “TECLA: 3D printed mud house prototype in Italy”, https://www.wasproject.it, September 8, 2025.
• [21] Gosselin, C., Duballet, R., Roux, P., Gaudillière, N., Dirrenberger, J., Morel, P., “Large-scale 3D printing of ultra-high performance concrete”, Materials & Design, Vol. 100, Pages 102–109, 2016.
• [22] Hager, I., Golonka, A., Putanowicz, R., “3D printing of buildings and building components”, Procedia Engineering, Vol. 151, Pages 292–299, 2016.
• [23] Feng, C., et al., “Energy and environmental performance of 3D printed housing systems in disaster recovery”, Sustainable Cities and Society, Vol. 67, Pages 102–154, 2021.
• [24] Dakhli, Z., Lafhaj, Z., “Environmental impact assessment and life cycle analysis of 3D printed buildings”, Automation in Construction, Vol. 110, Pages 102–116, 2019.
• [25] Ramesh, A., Navaratnam, S., Rajeev, P., Sanjayan, J., “Thermal performance and life cycle analysis of 3D printed concrete wall building.” Energy and Buildings, 320, 114604, 2024.
• [26] Santero, N., Horvath, A., “Life-cycle environmental and cost analysis of sustainable building systems using 3D printing”, Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol. 24, Issue 5, Pages 1105–1118, 2020.
• [27] Khoshnevis, B., Zhang, J., Bukkapatnam, S., “Economic benefits of robotic construction in post-disaster housing”, Automation in Construction, Vol. 94, Pages 1–11, 2018.
• [28] Petersen, K., Zuo, J., “Economic performance of 3D printed housing”, Sustainable Cities and Society, Vol. 76, Pages 103–125, 2022.
• [29] Salet, T. A. M., Ahmed, Z. Y., Bos, F. P., Laagland, H. L. M., “Design and development of an automated 3D concrete printer”, Automation in Construction, Vol. 94, Pages 110–118, 2018.
• [30] Li, Z., Chen, M., Xie, X., Duan, Z., “Development of sustainable 3D printing mortar”, Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 249, Pages 119–128, 2020.
• [31] Paolini, A., Kollmannsberger, S., Rank, E., “Additive manufacturing in construction”, Additive Manufacturing, Vol. 30, Artcile number 100894, Pages 1-13, 2019.
• [32] Malaeb, Zeina, Fatima AlSakka, and Farook Hamzeh. "3D concrete printing: machine design, mix proportioning, and mix comparison between different machine setups." In 3D Concrete printing technology, Page 115-136. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2019.
• [33] Zhang, X., Kamat, V., Lee, S. H., “Resilient shelter design with 3D printing technology”, Automation in Construction, Vol. 123, Pages 103–134, 2021.
• [34] Hanane, A., ElHarfi, A., Bouaoud, C., “Cultural sustainability in digital fabrication architecture”, Frontiers of Architectural Research, Vol. 11, Issue 4, Pages 893–908, 2022.
• [35] Li, Z., Wang, X., Zhang, J., “Life cycle cost assessment of 3D printed buildings”, Journal of Building Engineering, Vol. 32, Pages 101–179, 2020.
• [36] ICON & New Story, “3D-printed homes in Nacajuca, Mexico”, https://www.iconbuild.com/projects/3d-printed-homes-in-nacajuca-mexico-with-new-story, September 18, 2025.
• [37] New Story & ICON, “3D-printed homes in Nacajuca, Mexico”, https://www.iconbuild.com/projects/3d-printed-homes-in-nacajuca-mexico-with-new-story, July 5, 2025.
• [38] Monroe, R., “Can 3-D printing help solve the housing crisis?”, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/01/23/can-3-d-printing-help-solve-the-housing-crisis, July 5, 2025
• [39] Huang, S., Xu, W., Li, Y., “The impacts of fabrication systems on 3D concrete printing building forms”, Frontiers of Architectural research, Vol.11, Issue 4, Pages 653-669, 2022.
• [40] WASP / Mario Cucinella Architects, “TECLA: 3D printed mud house prototype in Italy”, https://www.3dwasp.com/en/3d-printed-house-tecla/, July 5, 2025.
• [41] Zavaleta, D., Quispe, A., Rojas, O., et al., “3D-printing of a basic housing unit prototype using earthen-based matrices”, Journal of Building Engineering, Vol. 103, Article 112111, 2025.
• [42] Es-Sebyty, H., Igouzal, M., Ferretti, E., “Improving stability of an ecological 3D-printed house”, Journal of Achievements in Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, Vol. 111, Issue 1, Pages 18–25, 2022.
• [43] Placzek, G., Schwerdtner, P., “A global snapshot of 3D-printed buildings”, Buildings, Vol. 14, Issue 11, Article number 3410, Pages 1-48, 2024.
• [44] Puzatova, A., et al., “Large-scale 3D printing for construction application”, Buildings, Vol. 13, Issue 11, Article number 2023, Pages 1-26, 2022.
• [45] Middle East Technical University, “Project: 3DPC – Sustainable and low-cost 3D-printable composites.” https://3dpc-ce.metu.edu.tr/en/project, September 8, 2025.
• [46] İSTON, “The first 3D-printed housing project in Turkey.”, https://iston.istanbul/ibb-turkiyenin-ilk-3d-binasini-insa-ediyor, June 14, 2025.
• [47] Gorfe, H. N., “Acil Durum ve Afet Sonrası Konutlarda Modüler Konut Tasarımının Potansiyeli”, Yüksek Lisans Tezi, [The Potential of Modular Housing Design in Emergency and Post-Disaster Shelters] [Thesis in Turkish], Uludağ Üniversitesi, Bursa, 2025.
• [48] Yunitsyna, A., “Sustainable small-scale housing construction using 3D printing”, SDCT Journal, Vol. 12, Issue 2, Pages 45–59, 2024.
• [49] Lim, S., Buswell, R. A., Le, T. T., Austin, S. A., Gibb, A. G. F., Thorpe, T., “Developments in construction-scale additive manufacturing processes.” Automation in Construction, Vol. 21, Pages 262–268, 2012.
• [50] Kassotakis, N., Sarhosis, V., Riveiro, B., Conde, B., D'Altri, A. M., Mills, J., Castellazzi, G. “Three-dimensional discrete element modelling of rubble masonry structures from dense point clouds.” Automation in Construction, Vol.119, Article number 103365, 2020.
• [51] Schuldt, S. J., Jagoda, J. A., Hoisington, A. J., Delorit, J. D., A systematic review and analysis of the viability of 3D-printed construction in remote environments. Automation in Construction, Vol.125, Article number 103642, 2021.
• [52] Buswell, R. A., De Silva, W. L., Jones, S. Z., Dirrenberger, J., “3D printing using concrete extrusion: A roadmap for research.” Cement and concrete research, Vol.112, Pages 37-49, 2018.
• [53] Apis Cor, “24-hour 3D-printed house in Russia”, https://www.apis-cor.com, September 18, 2025.