Dubai opens the world’s first 3D-printed office building
Dubai says it has opened the world's first 3D-printed office building – and the emirate wants 25 per cent of its buildings to be printed by 2030.
The new, city-centre offices were created using a special mixture of cement, the Dubai government said, with reliability tests carried out in Britain and China.
The arc-shaped construction was built in 17 days and cost about $140,000 (£96,000). It will be the temporary headquarters of Dubai Future Foundation – the company behind the project.
The new 3D office building in Dubai (Source: Reuters)
The one-storey prototype building boasts floorspace of about 250 square meters, which required a 20-foot x 120-foot x 40-foot printer, Reuters reported.
"This is the first 3D-printed building in the world, and it's not just a building, it has fully functional offices and staff," the UAE minister of cabinet affairs, Mohamed Al Gergawi, said.
"We believe this is just the beginning. The world will change."
Gergawi said research predicted that 3D printing could cut building time by 50-70 per cent and labour costs by 50-80 per cent, and he added that Dubai's strategy was to have 25 per cent of its buildings emirate printed by 2030.