Modeling interdependencies among sustainability barriers to 3D printing in construction via DEMATEL
摘要
Considering the 37% high global emission due to the construction industry and the warranting necessity of achieving the SDG 11 “sustainable cities and communities,” this research attempts to probe the barriers to 3D Concrete printing (3DCP), which is a radical technology for sustainability in construction. These barriers have been identified on Triple Bottom Line (TBL), viz., environmental, economic, and social grounds. The TBL barriers have been first identified through a systematic literature review and are then analysed by surveying 15 experts from the 3DCP industry to prioritize the most significant ones and determine the relationship among them using the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) approach. To apply DEMATEL, MS Excel 2021 Version 2502 and R Studio version 4.4.2 have been used. The study identified 17 TBL barriers and found economic barriers to be the major cause of environmental and social barriers. The social barriers are identified as the effect barriers. Moreover, it has been found that the limitation of 3DCP to be efficient only for complex designs is the prominent environmental barrier. Among the economic barriers difficulty in achieving economies of scale is a pertinent barrier hampering its adoption. Lastly, the lack of a regulatory framework for 3DCP that could steer the construction industry towards its adoption has been identified as a significant social cause barrier while "Uncertainty regarding the strength of buildings" is the highest contributing social effect barrier. This research also provides recommendations to deal with the causal barriers from the literature. This research adds to the previous research by highlighting the experts’ perception of the barriers to 3D printing and the cause-and-effect relationship formed among these barriers.