Building Enveloperetrofitting Innovation: Recycled Materials Role in Digital Fabrication and 3D Printing

Traditional construction methods are one of the main causes of resource depletion. This research explores the intersection of digital fabrication methods using recycled materials and eco-friendly construction through retrofitting the building envelope to achieve sustainability. Traditional methods of retrofitting existing building elements consume many resources (materials-energy) and produce a lot of waste. In this context, 3D printing, a modern digital manufacturing method, stands out as a promising alternative, offering innovative ways to reduce material and energy consumption and reduce waste in the building construction process. This technique can be used to produce innovative modules that may improve the environmental performance of buildings during their use phases. Environmental footprint can be reduced and economic returns increased by recycling building demolition waste and using recycled materials in 3D printing tools. Therefore, the research studies the different technologies, applications and digital tools that support using recycled materials from expected demolition waste in 3D printing to manufacture fixed units designed using grasshopper that are mechanically installed on an existing building envelope in Egypt, to presents an innovative idea to achieve sustainability using modern digital manufacturing methods.