The construction sector is the largest producer of CO2 worldwide, accounting for 40% of emissions. Traditional construction and manufacturing techniques dominate the industry, while innovations are promoted in other sectors, such as the automotive industry while the architectural and constructive sector tries to keep up.

This research project presents a new approach to 3D printing structurally optimized panels inspired by the space and aircraft industries but with endless wooden veneer filament. The goal is to introduce solid wood with its inherent long fiber structure into an additive manufacturing process for lightweight and material-efficient structural elements, such as ceiling or shell elements. These shell elements are made of thin plywood sheets that serve as the printing surface and outer or top layer, on which strategically placed veneer strips are printed to respond to calculated forces.

The process begins with small-scale tests using 3D-printed Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) / Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) variants. The most promising results are then realized on a 1:1 scale and tested for their load-bearing performance.

Upcoming papers and findings will be posted soon.