WinSun Global, the international division of China’s 3D printing pioneer WinSun, has unveiled plans to 3D print an office and event space in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
WinSun caused a sensation last year when it 3D printed 10 houses in a day, following up this feat by printing an entire villa and a five-storey apartment building earlier this year.
WinSun Global, a joint venture with unnamed international investors, has previously discussed plans to establish 3D printing plants in Dubai, France and the UK.
The new project is a joint venture between WinSun Global along with leading global architecture and engineering firms Gensler, London-based structural engineer Thornton Thomasetti, and New York-based consultant Syska Hennessy.
The latest project from the Chinese outfit is described as “the world’s first fully functional 3D printed building”.
It will be the temporary headquarters for the team behind the Museum of Future, a $500m museum dedicated to the future, with associated event space.
Mohammed Al Gergawi, the UAE minister of cabinet affairs and chairman of the UAE National Innovation Committee, said: “This building will be a testimony to the efficiency and creativity of 3D printing technology, which we believe will play a major role in reshaping construction and design sectors.
“We aim to take advantage of this growth by becoming a global hub for innovation and 3D printing. This is the first step of many more to come.”
In a press release, the museum said: “The project marks the beginning of an important transformation in the construction and design sector; the shift to 3D printing and digital fabrication. Although long tested in labs, 3D printing technology is rapidly coming of age. This project will be the most advanced 3D printed structure ever built at this scale and the first to be put into actual use.”
The office building will be approximately 186 sq m and will be printed layer-by-layer using a 20-foot tall 3D printer, then assembled on site in a “matter of weeks”.
As well as office space the building will also host public events and feature a small digital fabrication facility and a 3D printing exhibition space.
Along with the building itself, WinSun also intent to print all of the building’s interior furniture and internal detailing.
Significant elements of the forthcoming museum building itself are also due to be 3D printed.
