Dubai companies gear up to launch 3D printed home projects early next year
Dubai’s plans to have a quarter of all new buildings 3D printed by 2030 are moving closer to becoming reality with specialist local companies talking to contractors and developers to incorporate the cost-efficient technology into their future projects.
3DXB, which recently built the world’s largest 3D-printed villa in Dubai, and US-based developer of 3D printing construction AC3D that launched Dubai operations last year, say projects could start as early as 2025.
The construction industry, typically cautious about adopting new technology, has been extra slow to warm to 3D printing.
Offering a quicker and cheaper method of building new homes, the widespread use of 3D printing could have more far-reaching benefits than merely achieving Dubai’s 2030 buildings targets.
Beyond the UAE borders, the technology could also help to solve housing crises around the world and provide quickbuild homes in disaster-hit areas, said Boris Kozlov, founder and chief executive of AC3D.
Reducing the use of concrete, one of the highest emitters of carbon dioxide in the world, is another major win for the construction industry, he added.
While both companies have successfully built structures, they are in a proof-of-concept stage during which they will show developers the benefits of adopting 3D printing.
Shortly after Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, announced the Dubai 3D Printing Strategy in 2016, the first fully functional 3D-printed building opened that same year. It is now the main office of The Dubai Future Foundation.
Dubai Municipality built the largest 3D-printed two-storey building for its Centre for Innovation in 2019 and a villa, built by Danish company Cobod for Dubai developer Emaar opened in its Arabian Ranches 3 project.
More recently, 3DXB built the world’s largest villa in Al Awir.
The villa took 180 hours to print, with total build time for the project spanning six months, said Badar Al Blooshi, chairman of 3DXB.
“It took six months because it was the first one,” Mr Al Blooshi told The National. “The foundations are conventional and the roofs are conventional, so we are talking about the walls to be 3D printed.
“The target is four months, from the moment we start until the moment we deliver the house. The time saving is with the wall section, where we see a 40 per cent time-saving.”
The overall costs are about 15 per cent to 20 per cent cheaper than a conventionally built building, he said.
Mr Kozlov, who has been involved in additive 3D printing for about a decade, turned to 3D construction printing after realising the speed and cost advantage it offers developers across
the board. AC3D, which also supplies 3D printing machines, is currently building structures to show developers what can be done and recently completed a small unit – 10 feet tall and 200 square feet in size.
“It took us 10 hours to print it and it was far from maximum speed. So technically, we know we could do it in, like, six hours,” Mr Kozlov said.
In 2021, authorities in Dubai approved regulations for the 3D printing of buildings that require companies to register with Dubai Municipality and obtain a licence.
Trakhees, the regulatory body of the Ports, Customs, and Free Zone Corporation, recently announced the first licence for construction using 3D printing technology for buildings in Dubai being issued to Nakheel for its Al Furjan Hills project. The Dubai developer built a gatehouse at its Tilal Al Furjan development using 3D printing.
Andrew Pigott, technical director for modern methods of construction at WSP Middle East, says 3D printing is part of the industry’s move to improve productivity, safety and efficiency.
“The introduction of regulation and technical standards related to the use of 3D printing in the construction field will likely drive an uptick in its use in a wider variety of applications,” he said.
Mr Kozlov says 3D printing will eventually be cheaper, removing the need for roles such as formwork creation and masonry and being able to integrate plumbing and electricity during the printing process.
3DXB will build its own printers in a new factory in Dubai and is working on building a further 12 villas plus an office building in Fujairah that will be the biggest 3D structure in the world.
Mr Al Blooshi says he has received enquiries from individuals and some government entities for the local housing projects and is confident that the 2030 target can be met.
“It is doable by 2030. We are talking about 3,000 villas yearly, which will need a maximum of 400 printers, which we can produce from next year.”
It is doable by 2030. We are talking about 3,000 villas yearly, which will need a maximum of 400 printers
BADAR AL BLOOSHI Chairman of 3DXB