A fully-functional office building shows the potential of 3D printing

In Dubai, The Office of The Future is the first 3D printed office building.

The Office of The Future is a 3D printed office building in Dubai, which shows the potential of 3D printing to cut costs and time spent on construction. The bulk of the building was printed using a 20 x 120 x 40 feet printer, which layered a cement mixture up over the course of 17 days. Elsewhere, mobile 3D printers produced smaller parts, which were assembled on site.

Electricians, designers and plumbers also helped complete the single story project. The 250 square meter building will now serve as a functioning office building with multiple rooms and a bathroom. The project took approximately six months to complete and it is estimated to have cost half as much as traditional building methods. The office was officially opened last month by Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

We have seen other attempts to drastically lower the cost of construction, such as open-source kit Wikihouse, but none have truly transformed the construction industry. Could 3D printing make that transformation?