The first villa in Saudi Arabia made with 3D Concrete Printer (3DCP) technology was recently unveiled by Dar Al Arkan, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading real estate companies. The two-story, 9.9-meter tall villa is located in the Kingdom's capital city within the Shams Al Riyadh residential development.
Stringent procedures and a highly-evidence based approach have been implemented throughout the project. Dar Al Arkan chose to operate in this way to ensure the project would be completed securely with no compliance issues to worry about.
Dar Al Arkan launched the 3DCP technology in Q4 of 2021 to satisfy the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. These objectives in particular have focused on the encouragement of economic diversification and digitalization. Dar Al Arkan’s aim here is to promote the transformation of the construction and real estate industry toward advanced and sustainable building practices. So the use of 3DCP is a PropTech trend that we can expect to see being increasingly utilised throughout the MENA region.
THE POWER OF 3DCP TECHNOLOGY
The 3D Concrete Printer technology is an exciting PropTech innovation. In contrast to conventional home-building techniques, 3DCP is more versatile, requires fewer people, and reduces construction time by more than half. Equally fewer repairs and rework are required as 3DCP improves construction accuracy. This paired with reduced long-term expenses, more cost-effective management, and increased final property value makes 3DCP technology incredibly useful. But, when considering the decreased construction material waste and the fewer associated Lost Time Injuries, the benefits are further enhanced.
Moreover, the technology is more sustainable and a workable option for a future low-carbon construction sector. This is because less concrete is required to create a building via 3DCP technology. When compared to traditional buildings, the combination of these benefits offers consumers lower costs and greater affordability.
BENEFITS OF THE 3D PRINTED VILLA
The fact that the villa was built onsite in the middle of the summer without any cooling or shade is a promising sign. It indicates that the technology can print properties all year long throughout the Kingdom.
Shorter construction times are also evident. At present, a second villa is being constructed by Dar Al Arkan. This would typically take a month to complete, but the first floor has already been finished in only eight days.
Equally, additional insulation layers and energy-saving measures have the potential to reduce energy usage by up to 30%. So, this paired with the reduced construction costs, greater design flexibility, and enhanced productivity demonstrates the powerful advantage to be had via implemented 3DCP technology within the Saudi Kingdom and beyond.
BRIGHT FUTURE FOR 3DCP TECHNOLOGY
3DCP technology has the potential to transform how people buy their homes in the Middle East and beyond. This is because the technology will allow consumers to soon be able to choose from a variety of digital building designs and easily authorise the printing of their homes with the press of a button
Dar Al Arkan will keep raising industry standards to maintain the Kingdom's position as a pioneer in this field and to boost its 3DCP technology competitiveness.
