GRAPHĒ: The World’s Largest 3D-Printed Building Just Popped Up in Dubai

3D-printing innovators Apis Cor used locally sourced materials to print a two-story building in just three weeks.

Apis Cor recently completed the world’s largest 3D-printed building.

Apis Cor, whose motto is "we print buildings," just completed the world’s largest 3D-printed building to date—a 6,998-square-foot, 31-foot-tall government facility comprised of concrete, gypsum, and proprietary materials developed by the company.

The company’s 3D printer—which is about the size of a large car—spit out the structure section by section, and it was repositioned around the build site by three workers and a construction crane. Traditional construction methods and manual labor were used to create the foundation, set the windows in place, and add roofing and rebar.

The compact printer is highly portable, and it can adapt to a wide range of construction circumstances.

Courtesy of Apis Cor

The lightly textured, finished facade is unassuming. The building will provide offices for a government agency.

Courtesy of Apis Cor

Dubai served as a proving ground for the technology, which underwent extensive research and development ahead of the build. "The Dubai climate is very harsh—temperature and humidity change significantly even within a day," says company founder and CEO Nikita Cheniuntai. "The material has to behave the same way all the time, despite the changing environmental conditions."