Work has commenced on world's first fully-functional 3D printed office in Dubai. The assembly and testing phase of the office of the Museum of Future is making good progress, says WinSun Global, in its presentation.
The partnership of Dubai and WinSun Global, together with Gensler, Thornton Thomasetti and Syska Hennessy, the global architecture and engineering firms, has brought about this project.
Speaking during the recent Real Estate Development and Investment Meet, Nick Billotti, the Director of Strategy and Development at WinSun Global, said that the project has been delivered and will open soon.
The 3D office took 17 days to be printed at the pace of one top and bottom unit per day, although the exact date of the opening is yet to be decided.
The Chairman of UAE National Innovation Committee in July 2015, Mohammed Al Gergawi mentioned that UAE aims to deploy the latest technologies to improve lives of people and to develop economy in-line with country’s National Innovation Strategy.
The project forms part of overall innovation strategy to create fresh designs and new solutions in education and healthcare in cities. The aim is to improve the happiness and wellbeing of residents and to pioneer new solutions for the world.
Located at a busy intersection in the heart of Dubai, the Office of Museum is about 2000 sq. ft. in size and will be printed layer-by-layer using 20 foot tall 3D printer. The interior furniture detailing and other structural components will be built using 3D printing technology, by blending Special Reinforced Concrete, Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum and Fiber Reinforced Plastic. This will make it the most advanced 3D printed structure ever-built at this scale, and the world’s first to be put into actual use.
The project is the first major initiative from Museum of Future and will serve as temporary headquarters to the staff of Museum of Future, while the permanent Museum is getting built.
The printer sprays a unique construction ink and prints continuously in the wall layer by layer, with the thickness of each layer ranging from 0.6cm to 3cm. One 3D printed wall component is finalized after multi-layer stack, and then with several wall components, a 3D printed house is assembled.
According to estimates, the 3D printing technology can reduce production time of buildings by 50 to 70 percent, reducing labour costs by 50 to 80 percent and can save 30 to 60 percent of construction waste.
