Cost–Benefit Analysis and Environmental Impact Assessment of 3D Printing Applications in Building Construction in Oman

Oman is a progressive developing country in the Middle East, located at a strategic location. Its GDP growth rate has been negative in 2017 mainly due to the fluctuations in oil prices. The vision 2040 of Oman aims at a stable economy with special attention to the non-oil sectors. The contribution of infrastructure development in the overall GDP of Oman was a record high in the year 2016 at 1.3%, but it is much less than the countries like India (5.6%) and China (8.3%). Infrastructure is an important indicator in the human development index, which is a parameter to rank the developing and developed countries. This study analyzes the GDP of Oman with a focus on infrastructure development. The advances in 3DP technology in construction are discussed with examples of a few 3DP structures. The cost–benefit analysis of the 3DP with the perspective of Oman indicates that sustainable construction and affordable housing is possible at about 25% cost and with a 50% higher rate of construction. The study also reports the environmental impact of conventional and modular construction. A customized 3DP process is proposed for Oman analyzing the cost, time, and economic advantages of the 3DP construction technology.