World’s First 3D-Printed Office Building Set For Dubai

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by MIKE HRYMAK | Jul 7, 2015

It seems like something new is coming to Dubai every week. This time, it’s the world’s first 3D-printed office building. The 2,000-sq-ft structure will be one-story tall and constructed entirely using 3D printing technology.

The city is teaming up with Winsun Global, a Chinese company that aims to use 3D printers to build homes, to make this dream a reality. A 20-ft tall printer will be used to make each segment of the building, which will then be assembled on-site and joined together. Gensler, Thornton Tomasetti and Syska Hennessey Group all are participating in the project.

Mohamed Al Gergawai, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs, said in a statement to the Daily Mail, “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.”

“This building will be a testimony to the efficiency and creativity of 3D printing technology.”

— Mohamed Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs

Upon completion, the project would be “the most advanced 3D-printed structure ever built at this scale,” according to the city, and should change the way 3D printing is utilized in the built space.

“We have made great strides, but this is only the beginning of what is possible,” said Kyle Krall, a senior principal at Thornton Tomasetti and regional director of its UK office. “We can potentially combine 3D printing technology with both emerging materials and existing materials used in new ways, to take our industry in a fresh direction.”

Images via United Arab Emirates Innovation Committee

There is no timetable for when the building will be complete and officials have yet to reveal the projected price. They have announced that the office will be the temporary headquarters for the “Museum of the Future“, a planned, $136-million tourist attraction that will highlight all things positive about the future when it opens in 2017.

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