The Conservation of Cultural Heritage in Conditions of Risk, with 3D Printing on the Architectural Scale

Nowadays we are witnessing several demonstrations of damage, destruction, and loss of collective Heritage. Among these, according to the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger, we can mention ongoing conflicts around the world, environmental issues due to natural disruptions, and substantial vandalism. Therefore, effective response capability and quick turn out applications are required in order to satisfy the current and future demand for environmental, social and economic sustainability. The latest building site automation systems and 3D printing technologies (rapid prototyping) represent an applied experimentation of the effective realisation of three-dimensional volumes at different scales, from the design object to the building component, obtained by processing digital data with appropriate software. Indeed, the coordination of specific tools for the three-dimensional survey, digital modelling, and additive manufacturing now eases the production of components or architectural components, aiming to elaborate new constructive settings that will contribute to update the modalities of management, conservation, and use of the Cultural Heritage. At an international level, significant case studies bear testimony to how 3D printers allow the construction of free-forms structures or conventional multi-level buildings, by using the most common additive implementation systems, namely: powder bed deposition and cold extrusion layering. The refining of these technologies can offer a useful contribution to building site security management, reconstruction time rate, interventions cost, and innovative design, within Heritage restoration and conservation frameworks.