Dubai to construct office with 3D printer

Dubai will construct a small office building using a 3D printer for the first time, in a drive to develop technology that would cut costs and save time as the city grows.

3D printing, which uses a printer to produce 3D objects from a digital design, is taking off in manufacturing industries around the world but has so far been used little in construction.

Dubai’s one-storey prototype building, with about 2,000sq ft of floor space, will be printed layer-by-layer using a 20ft tall printer, said Mohamed Al Gergawi, the United Arab Emirates minister of cabinet affairs. It would then be assembled on site within a few weeks.

Interior furniture and structural components would also be built through 3D printing with reinforced concrete, gypsum reinforced with glass fibre, and plastic.

The project is a tie-up between Dubai and Winsun, a Chinese company that has been pioneering the use of 3D printers to build houses. Gergawi cited studies estimating the technique could cut building time by 50 to 70% and labour costs by 50 to 80%.

Gergawi said: “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.”