Civil additive manufacturing: foundations and frontiers of the modern construction industry

Abstract Civil additive manufacturing represents a specialized subset of additive manufacturing technologies operating at the construction scale and governed by distinct material, process, and regulatory constraints. This study presents a taxonomy-driven narrative-conceptual review of Civil AM using peer-reviewed literature alongside select gray literature, including institutional reports, industry white papers, and documented construction demonstrations. Through comparative discussion of construction-scale materials, printing techniques, and deployment strategies, this article assesses conditional benefits and limitations of Civil AM relative to conventional construction practices, with emphasis on scalability, cost efficiency, sustainability, and structural performance. This review highlights the absence of AM-specific construction standards as a critical barrier to industrial adoption and regulatory approval, complicating safety assessment and life-cycle evaluation of 3D-printed structures. By integrating technological developments with performance considerations, life-cycle perspectives, and standardization challenges, this study provides a structured foundation for evaluating construction methods and outlines future research directions necessary for scalable, automated, and code-compliant construction.