The world’s first ever fully functional 3D-printed office was inaugurated in Dubai on Monday. The office, sited at the Emirates Towers, will serve as a temporary office for the Dubai Future Foundation.
The 3D-printed office was constructed using a special mixture of cement and a set of building material designed and made in the UAE and the United States. These materials have undergone a range of tests in both China and the United Kingdom to ensure their reliability. An arc shape was adopted for the building for safety purposes and to ensure the stability of the building.
The office space covers up to 250 square meters, while the exterior design reflects the most innovative forms of future work place.
A 3D-printer measuring 20 feet high, 120 feet long and 40 feet wide was used to print the building. The printer features an automated robotic arm to implement printing process.
The labor involved in the printing process included one staff to monitor the function of the printer, in addition to a group of seven people to install the building components on site as well as a team of 10 electricians and specialists to take care of the mechanical and electrical engineering. As a result, the labor cost was cut by more than 50% compared to conventional buildings of similar size.
“We implement what we plan, and we pursue actions not theories. The rapidly changing world requires us to accelerate our pace of development, for history does not recognize our plans but our achievements,” said Sheikh Mohammed Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, while opening the so-called “Office of the Future”.
“We see this project as a case study that will benefit regulators as well as research and development centers at the regional and international levels on real application of 3-D printing technology. We are documenting this experience and building on it to take advantage of the most important lessons, which will serve as reference points to take this technology to new levels,” he added.
The full model took only 17 days to print after which the internal and external designs were adopted. The office was installed on site within two days, which is significantly faster than traditional construction methods involving A category office buildings in such an innovative project.