New York Funds 3D Printed Concrete Siding Research for Lower Carbon Home Retrofits
Syracuse University engineers will test the panels in the lab and in the field before retrofitting a campus dormitory using robot-assisted installation.
- By Danielle Naidu
- October 13, 2026
A Syracuse University engineer has received a multiyear award from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to develop prefabricated concrete siding for home energy retrofits.
The 3D-printed panels are designed to take up carbon, and robots will help install them. The university said the project aims to improve building performance while making retrofits faster and safer for construction workers.
Kun-Hao Yu, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, leads the project. His team will compare the panels with conventional wall assemblies in the lab. Field testing will follow at the university’s Building Envelope Systems Test Facility, an on-campus site for evaluating building performance in real-world conditions.
The team then plans to complete a full-scale retrofit of a dormitory on the university’s South Campus. Construction Robotics will advise on robot-assisted installation. Taitem Engineering will independently monitor building performance before and after the retrofit. Both companies are based in New York.
New York has an estimated 5.3 million single-family homes, according to the university. More than half were built before 1960. The state also has a large stock of older multifamily buildings.
The university said the project is intended to give the state a data-backed route to commercialize an affordable, energy-efficient retrofit option for single-family and multifamily homes. It also aims to help ease construction labor shortages and reduce occupational hazards in the industry.
