# Smart Infrastructure and Additive Manufacturing: Synergies, Advantages, and Limitations
## 3 Key Applications of 3D Printing in Smart Infrastructure
### Modular and Prefabricated Components
A major change in the design and fabrication of residential and commercial constructions has been brought about by the impressive advancements made in 3D printing technology in recent years. Completed in 2021 in Massa Lombarda, Italy, the Tecla house prototype is a ground-breaking illustration of this development [70]. The Tecla house is a groundbreaking accomplishment in sustainable building and construction, created by the architecture company Mario Cucinella Architects in partnership with 3D printing experts WASP (World's Advanced Saving Project). Using a combination of locally acquired raw soil and water, this creative residential building was fully 3D-printed, showcasing the potential of additive manufacturing to produce low-carbon, environmentally friendly dwelling options. The Tecla house, coined from the use of the words \"technology\" and \"clay\", was built by a modular 3D printing system that utilized a number of robotic arms in tandem with one another. Without conventional building materials like bricks, concrete, or steel, the arms produced the walls and support structures of the house through precisely and meticulously printing layers of the mixture of clay. In addition to diminishing the environmental footprint of the project, using raw earth as the core material provided superior thermal insulation, increasing the energy efficiency of the building. Furthermore, the natural, curved look of the Tecla house, facilitated by the malleability of 3D printing, maximized the functionality and aesthetic potential of the building while conserving material. The Tecla house is the most representative example of the circular economy and sustainable development concept because it uses materials that are easily accessible locally and minimizes its use of energy-based manufacturing processes. Moreover, the prototype only took 200 h to complete thanks to the 3D printing technology's efficiency and speed, reflecting the capacity of the technology to minimize building times and respond to immediate housing needs like urbanization, population growth, or calamities. Figure 6 depicts the aforementioned 3D-printed house [103]. Figure 6: The 3D-printed Tecla house in Massa Lombarda, Italy [104]. The Vulcan II project is the subject of another pertinent case that has been documented in the literature. A notable case study in the area of large-scale 3D printing applications for residential construction, this project was carried out by WinSun Decoration Design Engineering Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China) [105]. This ground-breaking project, which was started in 2014, demonstrates how 3D printing has the potential to completely transform the housing sector and marks a substantial development in construction technology. An impressive illustration of how additive manufacturing can solve important issues with building efficiency and cost-effectiveness is the project's use of a massive 3D printer to create ten single-story residences in China [71]. A large-scale 3D printer that could extrude a unique concrete mixture to manufacture entire building components layer by layer was at the heart of the Vulcan II project [106]. In stark contrast to conventional construction schedules, this technology allowed each house to be built in around 24 h. Rapid production of sturdy and useful housing units demonstrates the technology's potential to provide quick fixes in situations where traditional approaches would be impossible. By integrating this technology, construction efficiency has significantly increased, allowing for the production of habitable structures in a fraction of the time needed for conventional methods [107]. The Vulcan II project's effects go beyond how quickly it was built. The 3D-printed dwellings' price and robustness highlight the technology's potential as a workable way to alleviate housing shortages and offer temporary accommodation in disaster-affected areas.