A simulation to design and voxel 3D printing (S-D-VP) workflow: multi-material integrated facade 2

Abstract

This paper presents the design and scale-model fabrication process for a multi-material building façade with embedded shading, structural performance, and ventilation voids. Despite increasing research on performance-driven façade systems, existing processes typically rely on mechanical assemblies and have yet to explore the incorporation of multiple façade functions within a single, materially continuous volume. In response, the study introduces a bespoke digital process that translates performance-informed design data into multi-material 3D-printing instructions compatible with PolyJet additive manufacturing. Digital analyses—specifically structural and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations—inform the strategic placement of reinforcement thickenings and ventilation voids within the façade volume. Additional solar analyses inform the distribution of variable transparencies. These parameters are subsequently translated into material properties for voxel-based multi-material 3D-printing through a custom-built bitmap-generation slicer. The result is a simulation-to-design-to-voxel-3D-printing (S-D-VP) methodology demonstrated through a scaled architectural model, enabling architects and designers to convert analytical data into 3D-printed outputs with variable material properties.