From May 10 to 13, the 5th International Conference on 3D Printing Concrete Materials and Structures was successfully held in Xi’an, China. Attending the opening ceremony and delivering speeches were Xu Yongmo, President of the China Concrete and Cement-based Products Association (CCPA); Wang Shuangjie, Chief Technical Officer of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), Chief Expert, Director of the National Key Laboratory for Green and Durable Road Engineering in Extreme Environments, and National Master of Engineering Design and Survey; and Wang Xuejun, Party Secretary and Chairman of CCCC First Highway Consultants Co., Ltd. (FHCC), who also served as Chair of the Conference. Also attending the event were Wang Zhaojia, Executive Vice President of CCPA, and Gu Bingying, Deputy Secretary-General and Director of CCPA's Branch Affairs Department. The opening ceremony was hosted by Wang Zuo, Chief Technical Officer of FHCC.

Keynote speeches were delivered by Professor Ma Guowei from Hebei University of Technology, Professor Reza Moini from Princeton University, Professor Xiao Jianzhuang from Guangxi University and Tongji University, Professor Liu Chao from Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Professor Jay Sanjayan from Swinburne University of Technology, Professor Zhang Yamei from Southeast University, Professor Wang Hailong from Zhejiang University, Professor Liu Changmeng from Beijing Institute of Technology, and Fu Zhipeng, Chief Engineer and Deputy General Manager of FHCC.

The conference featured three main topics—“Design and Development of 3D Printing Concrete Materials,” “Mechanical Properties and Constitutive Relations of 3D Printing Concrete,” and “Design and Performance of 3D Printing Concrete Structures”—across seven sub-forums. Over 80 scholars from 48 universities and research institutions in many countries and regions, such as China, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Spain, Australia, India, and Hong Kong,China, participated, sharing academic insights and fostering technological exchange in the field of 3D printing.

On May 13, conference attendees conducted field visits to exemplary FHCC projects built using 3D printing technology, including “Changning Yin,” the first 3D printing municipal landscape arch bridge in northwest China; the first spatial hyperbolic reinforced concrete composite structure bridge in the country; and the largest group-style municipal landscape project constructed.

This conference was co-hosted by the China Concrete and Cement-based Products Association, Southeast University, CCCC First Highway Consultants Co., Ltd., and Solid Waste Subcommittee of the Chinese Ceramic Society. It was supported by the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Science and Technology and jointly organized by the National Key Laboratory for Green and Durable Road Engineering in Extreme Environments, the National Key Laboratory for Materials in Major Infrastructure Projects, the CCCC Civil Engineering Additive Manufacturing R&D Center, the Shaanxi 3D Printing Engineering Structure Industrial Technology Integration and Pilot Sharing Service Platform, the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Southeast University, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, and the Xi’an 3D Printing Smart Construction Technology Research Center for Concrete Structures. Over 400 participants attended the conference.

Focusing on materials, structures, processes, and engineering applications in the 3D printing concrete field, the conference brought together global experts for interdisciplinary collaboration, academic exchange, and innovation. It marked a significant step toward the high-quality, rapid, and scientifically driven development of 3D printing technology in concrete construction. The next conference is scheduled to take place in Nanjing in October 2026.