{"id":22346,"date":"2026-02-04T07:43:50","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T13:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ewn.erdc.dren.mil\/?post_type=publications&#038;p=22346"},"modified":"2026-02-04T07:43:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T13:43:51","slug":"3d-printing-natural-materials-for-nature-inspired-infrastructure-a-beneficial-use-opportunity-collaborative-research-workshop-synthesis","status":"publish","type":"publications","link":"https:\/\/ewn.erdc.dren.mil\/publications\/archive\/3d-printing-natural-materials-for-nature-inspired-infrastructure-a-beneficial-use-opportunity-collaborative-research-workshop-synthesis\/","title":{"rendered":"3D printing natural materials for nature-inspired infrastructure\u2014a beneficial use opportunity : collaborative research workshop synthesis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Natural infrastructure\u2014crucial for coastal resilience, flood risk management, and ecosystem services\u2014confronts escalating challenges from rising seas, erosion, storms, and human impacts. Innovative approaches are needed to enhance infrastructure functionality and broaden social, economic, and environmental benefits. Traditional manufacturing constrains engineering creativity required for nature-inspired infrastructure (NII). Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing (3DP), could revolutionize the design and functionality of NII. However, existing capability gaps hinder the effective transition of these technologies from conceptualization to implementation. Our workshop explored 3D-printed NII structures using natural materials, aligning with Engineering With Nature\u00ae (EWN\u00ae) principles and US Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure goals. Discussion included engineering solutions to provide social, recreational, environmental, and economic benefits, including flood risk reduction, wave energy dissipation, nutrient sequestration, and habitat enhancement. The participants sought to understand material selection and optimize morphologies to ensure the successful biocompatibility of nature-based habitats. By using locally sourced, biocompatible materials and drawing inspiration from nature, these technologies offer a means to enhance habitat function and improve aesthetics for communities. A timely opportunity exists to reshape the perception of locally available materials, such as sediment, by presenting dredged material as an environmentally and economically beneficial use asset and resource for 3DP feedstocks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Natural infrastructure\u2014crucial for coastal resilience, flood risk management, and ecosystem services\u2014confronts escalating challenges from rising seas, erosion, storms, and human impacts. Innovative approaches are needed to enhance infrastructure functionality and broaden social, economic, and environmental benefits. Traditional manufacturing constrains engineering creativity required for nature-inspired infrastructure (NII). Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing (3DP), could revolutionize the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":22347,"template":"","tags":[60],"class_list":["post-22346","publications","type-publications","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>3D printing natural materials for nature-inspired infrastructure\u2014a beneficial use opportunity : collaborative research workshop synthesis - Engineering With Nature<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ewn.erdc.dren.mil\/publications\/archive\/3d-printing-natural-materials-for-nature-inspired-infrastructure-a-beneficial-use-opportunity-collaborative-research-workshop-synthesis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3D printing natural materials for nature-inspired infrastructure\u2014a beneficial use opportunity : collaborative research workshop synthesis - Engineering With Nature\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Natural infrastructure\u2014crucial for coastal resilience, flood risk management, and ecosystem services\u2014confronts escalating challenges from rising seas, erosion, storms, and human impacts. Innovative approaches are needed to enhance infrastructure functionality and broaden social, economic, and environmental benefits. Traditional manufacturing constrains engineering creativity required for nature-inspired infrastructure (NII). Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing (3DP), could revolutionize the [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ewn.erdc.dren.mil\/publications\/archive\/3d-printing-natural-materials-for-nature-inspired-infrastructure-a-beneficial-use-opportunity-collaborative-research-workshop-synthesis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Engineering With Nature\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-04T13:43:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ewn.erdc.dren.mil\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ERDC-SR-25-8.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"646\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ewn.erdc.dren.mil\\\/publications\\\/archive\\\/3d-printing-natural-materials-for-nature-inspired-infrastructure-a-beneficial-use-opportunity-collaborative-research-workshop-synthesis\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ewn.erdc.dren.mil\\\/publications\\\/archive\\\/3d-printing-natural-materials-for-nature-inspired-infrastructure-a-beneficial-use-opportunity-collaborative-research-workshop-synthesis\\\/\",\"name\":\"3D printing natural materials for nature-inspired infrastructure\u2014a beneficial use opportunity : collaborative research workshop synthesis - 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