REVIEW article
Front. Sustain. Cities
Sec. Smart Technologies and Cities
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frsc.2025.1610729
This article is part of the Research TopicIntelligent Systems for Sustainable Building: Balancing IEQ with Energy EfficiencyView all 4 articles
SMART 3D-PRINTED FACADES: A REVIEW OF INNOVATIONS, MATERIALS, AND SUSTAINABLE PERFORMANCE
Provisionally accepted
Dan-Radu BARABOI1*
SCUTARU MARIA LUMINITA1
George Dragomir1Alin Ionuț Brezeanu1
Răzvan Calotă2Mihaela Pavel1
Gabriel NASTASE1- 1Transilvania University of Brașov, Brasov, Romania
- 2Technical University of Construction, Bucharest, Romania
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The construction industry faces increasing pressure to enhance energy efficiency, improve occupant comfort, and promote environmental sustainability. Smart 3D-printed facades represent a promising avenue for addressing these challenges, offering the potential for innovative architectural designs with enhanced performance characteristics. This paper is a narrative review examining the landscape of smart 3D-printed facade research between 2015 and 2025, analysing 76 relevant publications. There are significant advancements in material science, 3D printing techniques, and the integration of smart technologies into facade design.These developments demonstrate a notable capacity for improved energy performance and design flexibility. Specifically, 3D printing enables the creation of complex facade geometries, providing unprecedented design freedom and functional integration. The selection of sustainable and high-performance materials is crucial for optimizing energy efficiency, durability, and environmental impact. Furthermore, the integration of sensors, actuators, and AI-driven control systems allows for the creation of responsive facades that can dynamically adapt to environmental conditions and occupant needs. Critical challenges persist, including concerns regarding long-term durability, cost-effectiveness, scalability for large-scale applications, and the establishment of standardized testing and certification procedures. Future research should prioritize comprehensive lifecycle assessments to quantify environmental impacts and focus on developing robust material performance models under diverse climatic conditions. This will pave the way for the widespread adoption of this transformative technology in the built environment.
Keywords: Smart facades, 3D printing, Sustainable architecture, energy efficiency, Additive manufacturing
Received: 12 Apr 2025; Accepted: 23 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 BARABOI, MARIA LUMINITA, Dragomir, Brezeanu, Calotă, Pavel and NASTASE. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dan-Radu BARABOI, Transilvania University of Brașov, Brasov, Romania
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.