In a shocking and totally out-of-character event, Dubai, also known as the city of the future, is planning on building the world's first 3D printed skyscraper.
Yes, the world's first 3D printed skyscraper.
Cazza, a Dubai-based construction technologies firm intends on building the high-rise tower with a new technique called ‘crane printing,' Arabian Business reported.
According to Construction Week Online, this means using cranes with added units that are specifically created for building 3D printed structures 80m and above.
While building a 3D skyscraper hadn't always been on the table, the CEO of Cazza, Chris Kelsey, told Construction Week that developers kept asking if it was a possibility (even though they were thinking more along the lines of 3D printed houses and low-rise buildings).
"[The developers asking] led us to begin researching how we could adapt the technologies for taller structures," Kelsey said.
The building will not be 3D printed in its entirety. The cranes will 3D print specific parts of buildings, and the rest of the structure will use conventional construction methods.
One example of this is the steel rebar, a major structural element that is necessary for tall buildings.
Even though 3D printing is relatively new and impressive, Fernando De Los Rios, chief operating officer at Cazza, assures: "You won't know it's 3D."
This is mainly due to a new feature, the "layer smoothing system," which creates completely flat and uniform surfaces.
The ambitious construction project comes in line with the '10X' vision, an initiative launched by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, which sets the government of Dubai on a mission to be ten years ahead of other cities.
Kelsey praised Sheikh Mohammed for his vision, and added, that Cazza will do "everything we can to bring further world-changing innovation."