First 3D printed house to be ready in Sharjah in 2019

Sharjah's first 3D printed house could be ready by the third quarter of this year at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTI Park).
The entire house will be printed with state-of-the-art technology and the design will stay true to its UAE-roots. The move aims to establish Sharjah as the preferred destination for future architecture as the construction sector is gradually changing globally.
SRTI Park has announced that it has attracted the attention of several international companies that specialise in the construction of buildings with 3D Printing techniques. The project is as a result of triple helix collaboration of government, private, and academia, where CyBe Construction, a Dutch organisation, has been selected as the technology provider to build the 3D house in SRTI Park. The American University of Sharjah (AUS) will support in research and talent. The university is working on the development of this technology and training students through conducting applied scientific research by students, faculty members and a number of researchers from specialised companies, including Meet, which focuses on the constructions of 3D Printed structures. A group of students from the Faculty of Engineering at AUS will get hands-on training on this technique.
By introducing 3D Printing, SRTI Park is creating a proactive and supportive environment for experiments and research in the field of future building technologies and fourth generation technologies. The technology is considered to be one of the most innovative and reliable ways to build an integrated residential unit through the use of digital machineries. In addition, the technology is expected to reduce the costs of collection, transport and construction.
Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO of SRTI Park, said: "We are delighted to launch this ambitious project, which translates the vision of the park and its ambitious strategy to introduce all kinds of reliable future technologies to serve and facilitate people. In order to become a regional development center for 3D printing construction, we aim to create a suitable research and development environment for the private, academic and public sector to benefit."
He added that this project comes at a time when the cost of traditional construction is increasing. This type of construction has many advantages such as easy access to complex designs and simple modification with access to parts of different sizes, which results in shorter duration of implementation and cost.
- rohma@khaleejtimes.com