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When Dubai wants to be at the forefront of construction technology
We can recognize that 3D printing is taking giant steps and that its technology is advancing like lightning; from all kinds of spare parts for the human body, houses printed in a short time or the intention to build houses on the Moon or Mars quickly. The 3D printing craze is permeating all sectors!
In reality, many predictions are being made of how this type of technology will affect the construction sector but, of course, we will soon find an answer to the regulations that are in the Dubai City Council.
By 2025, according to Dubai City Council regulations, each new building will be 25% 3D printed
In 2025, according to the regulations that appear in the Dubai City Council, each new building that is constructed will be printed 25% in 3D; This movement will begin in 2022, starting at 2% with a gradual increase until the strategic objective is met.
Recall that the Dubai Future Foundation was created to provide a roadmap with the goal of making Dubai the world's '3D printing hub' by 2030.
Dubai is the city of luxury and home to the tallest skyscrapers on the planet (The Burj Khalifa building) not all live well. It has been criticized for abuses of the human rights of immigrant construction workers. Watchdog groups in the UAE describe widespread human rights abuses and "constructive slavery" as the norm in the industry.
"The 3D printing strategy aims to reduce labor by 70% and reduce costs by 90% in different sectors, according to the Dubai Future Foundation."
The idea of using printers to replace human work carried out in deplorable conditions and of physical integrity is not necessarily bad, considering the construction speed or efficiency with reference to traditional construction but… Is the technology advanced enough to meet these objectives? ? Is it feasible?
Although 3D printing is gaining ubiquity in real life situations and while walls, ceilings and even structural parts can now be manufactured with industrial printers, experts say these are still far from the 70% reduction in labor and to reduce the 80% of construction costs that Dubai aspires to achieve.
Although there are constantly evolving projects around the world that use this technology, there are still obstacles that construction companies using 3D printers will have to overcome before it is a mature technology capable of building structures with a click, a CAD file and some robots. (See article 5 Challenges of the engineering and construction sector or the article - report of 3D printing will reshape the construction industry, in English)
Three articles that show that there is still much to be developed, even if the projects are executed:
- A house built with a 3D printer in 24 hours
- Wall coverings with 3D printers
- How to build a bridge with robots
The emirate tested the potential of 3D printing in the construction industry in 2016 when it inaugurated what it claimed to be the world's first building constructed with this technology. The building, dubbed "Office of the Future", was created by a 3D concrete printer with a 6 meter high and 12 meter wide robotic arm.
The people needed for the task included a technician to supervise the printer, seven people to install the building on site, and a team of 10 electricians and specialists to handle mechanical and electrical engineering.
From that project, labor costs were reduced by more than 50% compared to traditional construction costs for a building of similar size. Printing took 17 days and the office was set up near Emirates Towers in downtown Dubai in just two days. Subsequent work on the construction, interiors and exterior lasted approximately three months.
It's reality, around the world there is a desperate need for low-cost and affordable housing, according to the World Resources Report 2022. The global affordable housing gap is estimated to be 330 million urban households. This number will grow by more than 30% to reach 440 million households, or 1.6 billion people, in 2025, according to the report. A near future that we will have to address, whether with or without 3D printers, but of course, in some way!
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