In an effort to place the United Arab Emirates at the forefront in architecture construction and design, Chairman of the UAE National Innovation Committee Mohamed Al Gergawi announced that Dubai will be home to the world’s “first fully functional 3D-printed building,” Emirates 24/7 reports.
Chinese company WinSun—which buzzed online when stories of the company constructing 10 homes in the course of 24 hours using 3D printing technology went viral—will be manufacturing the office building prototype in Dubai.
According to Al Gergawi, the prototype being "printed" will be a 2,000-sf, one-story office building. Online magazine 3D Printing Industry reports that a 20-foot-tall printer will be needed for the project, spewing out construction material consisting of special reinforced concrete, fiber reinforced plastic, and glass fiber reinforced gypsum.
"This project reflects the vision of our leadership here in Dubai," Al Gergawi told Emirates 24/7. "We are keen to use the latest technologies to simplify people's lives and to serve them better. This project is part of our overall innovation strategy to create new designs and new solutions in education, healthcare and cities. Our goal is to increase the happiness and wellbeing of our residents and to pioneer new solutions for the world."
Related Stories
| May 2, 2011
URS acquires Apptis Holdings, a federal IT service provider
SAN FRANCISCO, CA and CHANTILLY, VA– April 28, 2011 – URS Corporation and Apptis Holdings, Inc., a leading provider of information technology and communications services to the federal government, announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which URS will acquire Apptis.
| Apr 12, 2011
BIM Grows Up: Separating Hype from Reality in a 3D World
While BIM adoption still lags in both design and construction, some enterprising owners, architects, and contractors are unlocking the potential of this dynamic technology.
| Apr 5, 2011
Are architects falling behind on BIM?
A study by the National Building Specification arm of RIBA Enterprises showed that 43% of architects and others in the industry had still not heard of BIM, let alone started using it. It also found that of the 13% of respondents who were using BIM only a third thought they would be using it for most of their projects in a year’s time.
| Mar 15, 2011
Future-proofing BIM: A White Paper presented by Dell and BD+C
To benefit from new building design and construction technologies as well as novel project management approaches, leading AEC organizations of all sizes and scales are deploying building information modeling (BIM). This White Paper presents the comparative benefits of various kinds of hardware specification, with some guidance on the proper selection and specification of BIM workstations, compatibility with existing standards, and adoption strategies.
