Dubai to get world’s first 3D printed building - Surfaces Reporter

Gone are the days when buildings used to be a long term affair with all those bricks and mortars structure. After China and Japan making major leaps in the 3D printed structure, Dubai, the current construction capital of the world, is ready to construct a small office building through 3D printing. The technology will cut labour costs by 50-80 per cent and construction time by 50- 70 per cent, according to expert estimates. The use of a printer to make three-dimensional objects from a digital design has taken manufacturing industries around the world by storm. But the concept is new in the construction sector. 

Dubai's one-story prototype building, with about 185 sqm (2,000 sq ft) of floor space, will be printed layer-by-layer using a 20-foot tall printer. It would then be assembled on site within a few weeks. Interior furniture and structural components would also be built through 3D printing with concrete, gypsum reinforced with glass, fiber and plastic.

The innovative office will serve as temporary headquarters of the Museum of the Future project that was announced in March and is scheduled to open in 2017.

Mohamed Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the National Innovation Committee, said in a statement, “The idea of 3D printing buildings was once a dream, but today it has become a reality. This building will be a testimony to the efficiency and creativity of 3D printing technology, which we believe will play a major role in reshaping construction and design sectors. We aim to take advantage of this growth by becoming a global hub for innovation and 3D printing. This is the first step of many more to come."

The project is a tie-up between Dubai and Winsun, a Chinese company pioneer in the use of 3D printers to build houses. Other major firms involved in the project include Gensler, Thornton Thomasetti & Syska Hennessy.