Dubai: Dubai Municipality is coming up with new legislation to regulate the implementation of 3D printing technology in the construction sector.

The civic body on Wednesday announced that it has formed detailed programmes for the implementation of 3D printed buildings and a number of regulatory frameworks are being put in place.

These will cover matters pertaining to the materials and tests used for implementing this relatively new building technology using 3D printing, Deputy Director-General of Dubai Municipality Essa Al Haj Al Maidour said in a Press release. The regulations will also cover techniques and mechanisms used in on-site printing.

Speaking about the benefits, Al Maidour said 3D printing in the construction sector is expected to help in the reduction of the time required for implementation and wastage of building materials.

3D printing specifies the amount of construction material that is required at a very high accuracy level so there is less wastage compared to what is accumulated in traditional construction method, he noted.

Additionally, this technology will help reduce the use of manpower in the construction process, thereby enabling redeployment of workers for other works, he added.

The municipality’s Assistant Director-General for Engineering and Planning, Abdulla Raffia, who is also a member of the committee for implementing 3D printing technology in construction sector, said the civic body has conducted various research and surveys in best practices in the field and contacted a number of institutions and companies that have valuable experience in this field and have sought their feedback on developing the technology in Dubai.

He said workshops will be held to discuss practical steps to be taken for adopting the new technology.

Khalid Saleh Al Mullah, the director of the Building Department, said developing or innovating any type of construction system will have a direct impact on the construction industry. “Therefore, this new system must be accompanied by new legislation that regulates the work in the field and also preserves the results of the projects that will be implemented using this technology,” he added.

The world’s first fully functional 3D printed building was inaugurated in Dubai by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in May.

The initiative was as part of Dubai 3D 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 3D printing by 2030. The strategy focuses on three main sectors: construction, medical products, and consumer products.