Fully functional 3D-printed building coming to Dubai
A 3D-printed office is to set up shop in Dubai, it was announced this week, as the first initiative of the city's previously announced Museum of the Future and part of a larger focus by the city on major cultural projects.
Everything from the building's structural components to interior furniture will be printed layer-by-layer with a 20-foot-tall 3D printer, then assembled on-site in a matter of weeks.
The project is the result of a partnership between Dubai -- which aims to make itself a global hub for 3D printing -- and WinSun Global, which includes the Chinese 3D printing technology firm WinSun plus investors, as well as architecture and engineering firms Gensler, Thornton Thomasetti, and Syska Hennessy.
The building is to serve as the temporary headquarters for the staff of the Museum of the Future, which was announced back in March as a place to showcase innovation and produce futuristic innovations in various fields including healthcare, education, energy and transportation.
That space is expected to open in 2017 in a seven-storey, oval ring-shaped structure near the Burj Khalifa, and the newly announced 2,000-square-foot office space will be located nearby.
A small digital fabrication facility and a 3D printing exhibition space will be housed on-site.
As Dubai gears up to host the 2020 World Expo, it is undertaking a number of large-scale projects. Among them, the Dubai Opera is scheduled to be completed in 2016 and will be at the heart of a planned Opera district that will also be home to hotels, residences, parks and recreational spaces.
