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3D printing,
which uses a printer to make three-dimensional objects from a
digital design, is taking off in manufacturing industries around
the world but has so far been used little in construction.
Dubai's one-storey prototype building, with about 2,000 square
feet (185 square meters) of floor space, will be printed
layer-by-layer using a 20-foot tall printer, Mohamed Al Gergawi,
the United Arab Emirates Minister of Cabinet Affairs, said on
Tuesday.
It would then be assembled on site within a few weeks. Interior
furniture and structural components would also be built through
3D printing with reinforced concrete, gypsum reinforced with
glass fiber, and plastic.
The project is a tie-up between Dubai and Winsun, a Chinese
company that has been pioneering the use of 3D printers to build
houses. Gergawi cited studies estimating the technique could cut
building time by 50-70 percent and labor costs by 50-80 percent.
(Reporting by Andrew Torchia, editing by David Evans)
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