Abstract

Canada is known globally as a supporter of humanist causes and as a world leader in timber building and research. The country is well positioned to respond to natural disasters with the production and installation of innovative disaster housing. Innovations in the production and installation of disaster housing, however, can not only improve the quality of short-term housing interventions but can form a basis for long-term housing solutions sensitive to a particular cultural context. Recent developments in digitally-controlled design and fabrication technologies provide a basis for the rethinking of the design and assembly process of houses and facilitate the improvement of the quality of disaster response housing. Parallel to developments in wood-fibre research, 3-D printing offers opportunities to create pre-fabricated housing components for high-performance house designs as a response to natural disasters and as a basis for housing developments. As a wood-fibre based building technique, housing developed through the exploration of 3-D printing technologies provides opportunities for the application of Canadian research expertise, industrial capacities and natural resources. Architectural applications of additive 3-D printing technologies can be associated with the development of pre-fabricated housing in the Chile. Responses to Chilean disasters need to be coordinated with long-term social housing developments. In connection with Chile and responses to the 2010 tsunami and related housing requirements, 3-D printing using wood fibre-based materials and general advantages of pre-fabrication in relation to off-site production in controlled environments can make a significant contribution to the rebuilding of lost housing stock. Time and cost-saving installation methods and independence from natural conditions at the site play an important role in applications of pre-fabricated housing types. Conceptual references for 3-D printing in architecture as well as practical considerations for the application for 3-D printing are significant references. Structural performance, environmental features and the efficiency of the design, fabrication and construction process also play an important role in the consideration of 3-D printing with wood fibre. 3-D printing of housing components can also affect Canadian disaster response designs and offer a significant market for Canada wood products.