6,888-sf Dubai Municipality building is the largest 3D printed building to date

A new two-story administrative building for the Dubai Municipality has become the largest 3D printed building to date. 

Standing 31 feet tall, the 6,888-sf building was 3D printed on site by Apis Cor without any extra assembly works. The Apis Cor 3D printer is mobile and was moved around the construction site by crane. The printing process took place in an uncovered area, meaning things like temperature and humidity were uncontrolled.

Structural calculation and analysis for the building included: seismic actions, vertical action, floor masses and mass moments of inertia, structural model, modal analysis, accidental torsion effects, shear forces, displacements, damage limitations, and internal forces.

See Also: This is the world’s first building completely 3D printed onsite

The 3D-printed material was a gypsum-based mixture developed by Apis Cor. The 3D-printed formwork for the columns was manually filled with rebar and heavy concrete and the building’s walls were printed floor by floor with the roof, windows, and insulation installed by conventional means via a general contractor.