End of 2021, the German University of Technology in Oman celebrated the finishing of the 3D printing of the walls of the so far largest 3D printed building in the world made with a real concrete. The importance of the event was marked by the presence of His Excellency Sultan Al-Habsi, Minister of Finance of Oman together with more than 200 guests including several ministers and VIPs of Oman, who attended the event in Muscat, the capital of Oman.
The house consists of 190 m2 (2,100 SF) and is typical for a social housing unit in Oman. It has 3 bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, and guest reception area. The house was printed in two stages. While the materials recipe was adjusted and training of the Omani crew took place during the printing of the first part of the house, the second part of the house was done by the Omani crew on their own and it only took five days to complete. A sign of fast learning and productivity improvements occurring in 3D printed projects.
Dr. Hussain, Acting Rector of GUtech said “Today’s display of the first 3D printed building is perhaps the first step in the 1,000-mile journey. A step that will not be success without the support of all parties involved. In this regard, I sincerely thank all the local and international parties who contribute to supporting the center and the University. We hope that this center will play its part in supporting Oman's efforts to achieve Oman's Vision 2040.”
While the Middle East have seen numerous 3D printed buildings, the 190 m2 building in Oman is printed with real concrete instead of the traditional dry mix mortars used in most other 3D printed buildings. To make the concrete 3D printable, GUtech applied the D.fab solution developed by Cobod and Cemex in cooperation where the concrete can have particle sizes up to 10 mm (1/3 inch) and is made from locally available cement, sand, and gravel. In the case of Oman, more than 99.5% of the materials used were local, with less than 0.5% coming from Europe in the form of the D.fab additives.
Commenting on this milestone for the widespread adoption of the 3D construction printing method, Henrik Lund-Nielsen, Founder & General Manager of COBOD International stated: “While we have been happy to help various cement and concrete manufacturers develop dry mix 3D printable mortars, we have also insisted on that a solution for making real concrete made from local available materials would be needed for mass application of our technology. We are more than pleased that CEMEX took on the challenge, and proud that we in cooperation could develop the new solution, which GUtech has now applied to the first building in Oman. With the low cost for the printed materials, on top of the savings from not needing formwork and the minimal crew needed to operate our printers, our disruptive technology is now more competitive than ever before in Oman and everywhere in the world”.
About GUtech
The German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) is the result of a collaborative agreement between RWTH Aachen University and OES Company (Oman Educational Services) which was signed in December 2006. The main goal behind GUtech is to become a leading university in the region, achieving internationally recognized standards in education, research, and innovation. GUtech mission is to provide a diverse student body with the education required to become highly qualified and socially responsible graduates, guided by German excellence in science and technology and with a firm grounding in Oman’s culture and heritage. The University fosters creative and critical thinking to advance research and innovation and, through this, aims at serving society as a whole.
Dr. Yousuf Al Bulushi
Assistant Deputy Rector for Innovation and Educational Services, GUtech
video about the project