Saudi Arabia’s Dar Al Arkan completes first 3D printed villa at Shams Al Riyadh

Real estate company Dar Al Arkan has unveiled its first 3D construction printed (3DCP) two-storey, 9.9 meter high villa in the Shams Al Riyadh residential development in Saudi Arabia.

The structure was printed directly on site, during the summer without any cooling equipment or shading, indicating that the technology is capable of printing homes year-round and in any part of the kingdom.

The villa was constructed using locally made materials including cement, sand, rocks and stones, with varying degrees of concentration, to ensure the structure is up to four times stronger than traditional construction.

The company adhered “to strict protocols and an evidence-based approach” to ensure the project was constructed safely in accordance with Saudi Arabia’s building codes in every aspect. Work has also commenced on the second villa.

Wael Al Hagan, project manager, 3DCP, Dar Al Arkan, said: “Dar Al Arkan is currently building the second villa, which will typically take a month to complete, but we’ve already finished the first floor in only eight days. This 3D printed villa has additional insulation layers and features that ensure energy conservation, saving up to 30 per cent in energy consumption. We urge all industry experts to visit us and view the first completed villa and the second under construction for themselves.

“Our efforts are focused on developing the kingdom’s real estate sector by integrating the latest trends and technologies, drawn from global best practices to enhance our industry locally and deliver on the objectives of Vision 2030. The introduction of 3D construction printing enables us to focus on greater flexibility of design, strengthen productivity and achieve higher cost efficiency.”

Unlike traditional home-building methods, 3DCP cuts the construction time by more than half, is more flexible and requires less manpower since it takes only three workers to build one house. This, in turn, also contributes to decreased lost time injury (LTI), creating a safer workplace.

A lesser amount of concrete is needed to complete a building, making 3DCP technology more sustainable and a viable solution for a low-carbon construction industry of the future. For consumers, the combination of these advantages ensures lower costs and more affordability compared to traditional construction.

As 3DCP increases the accuracy of construction, there will be less repairs and rework too, helping save long-term costs and adding to the value of the property. A combination of reduced waste of construction materials, less need for repair or rework and low on-site LTI incidents will enable highly cost-efficient project management than traditional construction.

The technology will revolutionise how customers buy their homes in the near future given that very soon they will be able to select from various digital building designs and simply authorise the printing of their home with a click of a button.