3D PRINTED MODULAR PASSIVE GREEN FACADE

Abstract

Can 3D printing technology be challenged to develop complex forms for the green facade with the goals of reducing its full life cycle maintenance cost and achieving the optimal daylighting performance for an office building? This dissertation will be a design research to explore vertical greenery in Singapore, and to push the limits of 3D printing to produce prototypes of complex forms, that cannot be achieved by conventional concrete casting or steel manufacturing, to harvest and store natural rainwater in a sponge-irrigation tank system within the facade for plant water nutrition. This passive means of water supplement for plant growth challenges the current market’s drip irrigation technology that rely on manpower labor to monitor the mechanized systems and electricity to power pumps for water recirculation. If the design is successful in sustaining plant growth using harvested rainwater, the annual life cycle maintenance, electricity and water cost of about SGD 3 600 for a green facade can be saved for a typical 10.8 by 12 metre office workspace. Design iterations will be explored and series of rapid prototyping will be done to produce 3D prints at 1:50 and 1:5 scales to test for their rainwater protection, harvesting and storage capabilities and plant growth. In addition, daylight simulations will be run by Autodesk Revit software to test if the design can achieve the optimal range of 200 to 500 lux level for an office workspace and minimum 200 lux level for an atrium lobby. If the results are successful, the use of artificial indoor lighting can be minimized and the annual electricity cost of SGD 640 for the same office unit can be reduced.