The world’s largest 3D printed building has just been finished in Dubai! And, amazingly, it took just two days to build.
The two-storey 6,900 square foot structure will be used as an office for general administrative functions by the Dubai Municipality.
It was designed in collaboration with Apis Cor, a 3D printing and construction company in Boston.
Take a look around this marvellous construction!
The building was erected on a pre-cast concrete foundation, atop which the 3D printer built up hollow walls using a fast-drying mixture of recycled construction debris, cement, gypsum, and other compounds. Photograph: Satish Kumar/Reuters
While there is a taller 3D printed building in the world, a five storey apartment building Suzhou, China that tops 90 feet, the Dubai building has the largest square footage. Photograph: Satish Kumar/Reuters
The 3D printing material is roughly 50 per cent lighter than conventional concrete and substantially more durable. The 3D printer outlined the walls with layers of the material a few inches thick, then slowly built upward, until the walls were at full height. When the walls were completed, human construction crews took over, installing the roof, cutting out spaces for windows, and filling the walls in with insulation. Photograph: Satish Kumar/Reuters
The Dubai Municipality hopes that by 2030 25 per cent of all new construction in the city will involve 3D printing. Photograph: Satish Kumar/Reuters
According to city estimates, moving to 3D printing will reduce the labour necessary for building construction by 70 per cent and cut construction costs by 90 per cent. Photograph: Satish Kumar/Reuters
Apis Cor, the company behind this building, says its next projects will be built in Louisiana and California, and it’s also working to develop an affordable 500 square-foot house that can be 3D-printed in 24 hours. Photograph: Satish Kumar/Reuters
