Mohammed opens ‘Office of the Future’

DUBAI / WAM

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed opened the ‘Office of the Future’, the first 3D-printed office in the world. The office space covers up to 250 square metres, while the exterior design reflects the most innovative forms of future work place.
The design has been conceived to achieve a shift from the traditional form of work environments and provide greater opportunities to stimulate innovation and communication between work place teams. It also offers the possibilities for joint work with experts and innovators from around the world, and a platform to inspire ideas and develop relations between employees by establishing new methods for brainstorming sessions and creating a healthy and happy environment. The design also offers space for exhibitions and workshops as well as other events.
The 3D-printed office was constructed using a special mixture of cement and a set of building material designed and made in the UAE and the United States. These materials have undergone a range of tests in both China and the United Kingdom to ensure their reliability. An arc shape was adopted for the building for safety purposes and to ensure the stability of the building. Innovative features have been adopted in the office building to reduce energy consumption such as window shades to offer protection from direct sunlight and keep the building cool. A 3D-printer measuring 20 feet high, 120 feet long and 40 feet wide was used to print the building. The printer features an automated robotic arm to implement printing process.
The labour involved in the printing process included one staff to monitor the function of the printer, in addition to a group of seven people to install the building components on site as well as a team of 10 electricians and specialists to take care of the mechanical and electrical engineering. In order to manage the execution of the project, additional mobile printers were located at the construction site, in addition to the use of advanced computers to help ensure quality control, facilitate the printing processes, and form effective and productive basement for different projects requirements. The full model took only 17 days to print after which the internal and external designs were adopted. The office was installed on site within two days, which is significantly faster than traditional construction methods involving A category office buildings in such an innovative project.
The initiative comes as part of Dubai 3-D Printing Strategy, which is a unique global initiative aimed to harness this promising technology for the service of humanity and promote the status of the UAE and Dubai as a leading global centre of 3-D printing by 2030. The strategy focuses on three main sectors: construction, medical products, and consumer products.