Advancing Sustainable and Disaster-Resilient Housing Through 3D Printing Technology: A Systematic Review

The rise in global disasters has intensified the need for innovative housing solutions capable of withstanding and recovering from extreme events. Conventional construction methods are often slow, labor-intensive, costly, and insufficient for delivering resilient structures under rapidly changing conditions. While 3D printing technology (3DPT) has shown strong promise in the broader construction sector, its specific potential for sustainable disaster-resilient housing remains insufficiently understood. This systematic review examines the potential utilization of 3DPT across pre- and post-disaster scenarios, including retrofitting, rapid reconstruction, and recovery operations, with the aim of clarifying its emerging role rather than assuming its full realization in practice. Across disaster contexts, 3DPT offers advantages such as accelerated construction, reduced waste, and rapid customization to hazard-specific design requirements. Through t-SNE and Gaussian Mixture Models, the review visualizes thematic clusters within the literature, while Latent Dirichlet Allocation highlights research trends spanning materials, construction processes, and disaster-focused applications. SWOT analysis further illustrates the technology’s current promise and constraints. Strengths include flexibility, time efficiency, precision, and sustainability benefits, whereas weaknesses involve high initial investment, limited material compatibility, and the absence of standardized codes. Opportunities emerge from sustainable material development, localized fabrication, and continued technological innovation, while threats stem from workforce shortages, environmental unpredictability, and competition from established alternatives. The review concludes with recommendations for future research, emphasizing standardization, material advancement, community integration, long-term performance evaluation, and supportive policy frameworks. Addressing these gaps, 3DPT may progress toward becoming a viable, resilient, and cost-effective housing option for disaster-affected communities.