Springing out of the desert to become a major cosmopolitan hub, Dubai is positioning itself to be among the most forward-thinking cities on the planet. Aside from being the first home to Hyperloop, the city is a leader in groundbreaking architecture—and we’re not talking about the Burj Khalifa. We’re talking about a fully 3D-printed office building.
The workspace, dubbed the”Office of the Future,” was designed by Killa Design and Gensler. Printed using a combination of specialized concrete and proprietary materials, the 2,500-square foot building was fabricated into sections at a specialized manufacturing bay in China, then shipped to the United Arab Emirates for assembly. It currently serves as the temporary offices for the Dubai Future Foundation.
Gensler Architects partnered with Chinese company WinSun Global, whose specialized 3D-printing machine was originally designed to make housing for natural disaster victims. Measuring 20 feet tall, 140 feet long, and 40 feet wide, the unique manufacturing bay churned out the building in just 17 days. Once in Dubai, the building only took two days to assemble.
This innovative approach to construction certainly represents a new chapter in building design. The latest energy-saving technologies were incorporated into the Office of the Future, so the structure and the methods itself are both environmentally friendly. It’s also faster and cuts labor costs by 50%, the Government of Dubai said in a press release.
Once the Future Foundation has its permanent home, the building will serve as an incubator for advancing 3D-printing technologies in the construction, medical product, and consumer product sectors.
See more photos below.
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