Sustainable technology advances for additive construction: a state-of-the-art review
摘要
Housing shortages, environmental degradation, and affordability crises are pressing the construction sector to adopt integrated sustainable solutions. This review identifies the automation technology bottlenecks that currently hinder Additive Construction. Using a PRISMA-based protocol, we screened 1331 papers (2013–2025) and retained 77 to analyze five dimensions of Additive Construction: Sustainability, Materials, Masonry, Process Improvement, and Printing Technology. We explored research directions, advantages, achievements, and technological gaps, especially from a machinery-wise and automation perspective, and proposed system upgrades to address them. Evidence reveals issues on motion stability, accuracy and coordination for positioning systems, gaps in printers' components design, and unpredictability of material behavior during deposition. This approach identifies priority research areas for technological development, such as inline mixing, real-time monitoring systems, adaptive controllers, and advanced digital models. By reframing Additive Construction challenges as machine-design specifications, this review guides engineering teams in advancing construction automation.