Engineers in Sharjah 3D-printed a house with the help of a Dh1 million robot.
The house, made of sustainable eco-friendly cement, was built in almost two weeks.
Scientists and engineers built an early prototype of a single-storey home at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park that could become the blueprint for hundreds of similar houses in future.
In a project backed by the American University of Sharjah, academics imported technology from Holland to print the walls of the traditional Emirati home in less than two weeks.
The price will come down and 3D houses will eventually be cheaper than traditional constructions
Up to 20 similar buildings are now planned for 2021, which could start a new era of 3D-printed construction projects in the UAE.
Hussain Al Mahmoudi, chief executive of SRTI Park, said while costs for the prototype were about 40 per cent more expensive than a traditional build, that is sure to come down.
It will become economical when houses in whole neighbourhoods are 3D-printed and economies of scale are achieved.
“It is not a straightforward process, but that is the challenge and an opportunity at the same time,” Mr Al Mahmoudi said.
“The price will come down and 3D houses will eventually be cheaper than traditional constructions. They will be faster to build and use less labour.
“Eventually, we would like to produce our own robotics, mortar and software in the UAE to enable us to reduce the cost even further.”
Currently, everything from the mortar, robotics, software and skilled labour is imported, resulting in a high cost for the prototype.
Only three to four skilled workers were required for the construction of the two-bedroom, single-storey house compared with a team of more than 50 usually required for a similar project built the traditional way.
The CyBe Construction robot was imported from Holland. It is designed to operate for 24 hours continuously and costs about Dh1 million.
The considerable savings in labour and material should result in 3D-printed homes eventually costing half that of traditional builds, and take a fraction of the six months usually set aside for such projects.
In October 2019, Dubai Municipality unveiled the world’s largest two-storey 3D-printed house, in Warsan.
While that took two years to complete, including testing procedures, the homes printed in Sharjah can be developed in a fraction of the time.
And with the eco-friendly materials used, it promises to be more environmentally sound.
“The mortar we used is more sustainable than elsewhere and it is significantly different,” said Haidar AlHaidary, a project executive who worked on the design.
“It does not use Portland cement, so we can reduce carbon emissions by about 60 per cent.
“It is also stronger so that should increase the lifespan of the building to about 50 years or so.
“It is a big difference.”
The special mortar used is the project’s “secret sauce”. It replaces the usual carbon-intensive Portland cement with a special formula, which is protected by the manufacturer.
The biggest challenge now facing the project’s developers is to convince people that 3D mortar is a viable alternative to bricks, steel and timber.
“Once people understand the technology, it will become commercially feasible,” Mr AlHaidary said.
“With interest in the market, we can reduce the monopoly, increase competition and bring the prices down.
“These are important points.
“It may not be cheaper in every aspect from Day 1, and we don’t want to replace traditional methods altogether, but we want 3D-printed to become a viable method of construction.”
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
