Leading Saudi developer Dar Al Arkan has completed the kingdom’s first 3D construction printed (3DCP) two-storey villa, which stands 9.9-m tall, within the Shams Al Riyadh residential development in the Saudi capital.

The villa has been constructed using locally-made materials including cement, sand, rocks and stones, in varying proportions, to ensure the structure is up to four times stronger than traditional construction, said the developer.

Using 3CDP technology is the first of its kind achievement in the region since it accelerates the speed of construction while enhancing safety and reducing wastage and errors, said the Saudi developer.

The villa 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. Buoyed by its success, Dar Al Arkan is now building a second villa.

Gulf Construction had last year (July 2021) reported that Dar Al Arkan had collaborated with Cobod (Construction of Buildings on Demand), a Danish robot 3D construction printer company, to offer its innovative solutions for the first time in the kingdom, thus marking a regional first for Cobod’s 3D construction printing (3DCP) technology.

The Saudi developer switched to 3DCP technology in Q4 last year.

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, thus creating a safer workplace, stated Wael Al Hagan, Project Manager, 3DCP.