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

Drones and 3D printing are two of the most talked about and researched technologies on the planet right now. Be it in the nightly news, an online story, or just overhearing a coworker or friend talking about a recent advancement, it is difficult to go through a day without hearing something new about drones or 3D printing.

A recently completed project in Dubai can give you your daily fill of both ubiquitous technologies as it melds them in the R&Drone Laboratory, a lab that will conduct research on drones and 3D printing technologies. This lab won’t just research 3D printing technologies, however, as 3D printing technology has been put to use to construct the building itself. The lab was 100% 3D printed onsite, a first for a building in the UAE, and, according to CyBe Construction, a first for the world, as well.

The facility is based at the Solar Park as part of the Research and Development Centre. Due to the size of some of the elements of the laboratory, CyBe Construction, a Dutch company responsible for the engineering and 3D Concrete printing of the facility, transported the CyBe RC 3Dp to the location in Dubai. This device is a 3D printer that is able to move on caterpillar tracks to allow for the printing of large building components onsite.

Image courtesy of CyBe Construction.

3D printing the building onsite significantly reduced transportation costs and build time for the project. A building like the R&Drone Labortory typically takes up to a couple of months to build via traditional construction methods. By using onsite 3D printing, the facility was completed within three weeks. Additionally, 3D Concrete printing is more environmentally friendly because it reduces CO2 emissions and waste.

CONVRGNT is the contractor for the project and Wanders & Wagner is the architect. Witteveen + Bos was the contractual design engineer. The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority was the client.