REUTERS
DUBAI
Dubai said it would construct a small office building using a 3D printer for the first time, in a drive to develop technology that would cut costs and save time as the city grows. 3D printing, which uses a printer to make three-dimensional objects from a digital design, is taking off in manufacturing industries around the world but has so far been used little in construction. Dubai’s one-storey prototype building, with about 2,000 square feet (185 square metres) of floor space, will be printed layer-by-layer using a 20-foot tall printer, Mohamed Al Gergawi, the United Arab Emirates Minister of Cabinet Affairs, said on Tuesday.
It would then be assembled on site within a few weeks. Interior furniture and structural components would also be built through 3D printing with reinforced concrete, gypsum reinforced with glass fibre, and plastic. The project is a tie-up between Dubai and Winsun, a Chinese company that has been pioneering the use of 3D printers to build houses. Gergawi cited studies estimating the technique could cut building time by 50-70 percent and labour costs by 50-80 percent.
“Not only are tree kangaroos distant relatives of wallabies, they also have many behavioural and physical differences. We had no idea if the yellow-foot rock wallaby would accept the tree kangaroo joey, but if we wanted to save the joey we had to try our luck.”
Makaia lived with his surrogate mother for three-and-a-half months before Males took over caring for him. Gestation takes about 45 days for Goodfellow’s tree kangaroos. The babies spend their first few months in their mother’s pouch, suckling, and then leave for progressively longer periods of time until fully independent. “He’s certainly a cheeky little fellow and loves running amok,” Males said.