3D printed construction set to take off in Oman

MUSCAT: The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ) signed a cooperation agreement on Wednesday with Innovative Technology Company for Educational Solutions (Innotech) to collaborate in the use of 3D printing techniques in construction.

The pact follows a decision by OPAZ Board of Directors approving the use of modern building practices, including 3D printing techniques, in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD) and the other free zones. Dr Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy, Chairman of the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ), signed the agreement with Eng Othman bin Maktoum al Mandhari, CEO of Innotech Company.

The cooperation programme stipulates that the Company shares with OPAZ expertise and insights in construction with 3D printing techniques, which would provide a suitable and attractive environment for these projects in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm.

The programme allows OPAZ to establish projects using 3D printing techniques in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm for the Company as part of its efforts to support research and development while localising modern construction techniques in the zones supervised by OPAZ, especially the Special Economic Zone at Duqm. Accordingly, Innotech shall comply with all HSE standards in the projects assigned to the company by OPAZ.

Eng Manal bint Humaid al Abri, Senior Architect at OPAZ, pointed out that the cooperation programme with Innotech, the only company of its kind in the field, is part of OPAZ’s efforts to support innovation, research and development in using modern technologies and 3D printing in construction. It also aims to localise these techniques in the special economic zones and free zones in particular and the local market in general. Further, introducing such techniques mirrors OPAZ objective to accelerate the pace of construction in the Duqm SEZ in the initial stages, before it is rolled out to other zones as well.

“OPAZ welcomes any initiatives from the private sector companies related to construction with 3D printing technology. The Board of Directors approved in its meeting last week to provide packages of facilities and incentives to companies that use 3D printing in construction, including exemption from rental fees for up to five years,” she said. 3D-printing will enable the construction of tourist and entertainment projects in the first phase of its piloting, she stated.

“The newly-introduced modern building techniques bring the artificial intelligence technology to construct buildings and establish engineering projects. These techniques include various spheres; using robots as 3D printers for buildings or other constructions, drones or reality simulation applications are to name a few. Such techniques aim as a whole to simplify the construction process, starting from the design phases and construction afterward, until operating and managing buildings, facilities or infrastructure networks. Most importantly, these techniques contribute to minimising the construction duration, reducing the total cost of projects and offering environment-friendly buildings,” Eng Manal Al Abri explained.

Eng Othman al Mandhari, CEO of Innotech Company, commented, “This cooperation programme with OPAZ paves the way for the Company to use 3D printing building technology in the special economic zones and free zones. Similarly, it brings opportunities for the Company to expand its services by implementing 3D printing in architecture and construction sector.”

Established in 2012 by a group of Omani engineers, Innotech is specialised in various fields of 3D printing, including education, medicine, architecture, engineering and others.

“The Company, which records 100 per cent Omanisation, has contributed over the past three years, in cooperation with Petroleum Development Oman and Galfar Engineering and Contracting, to develop this technology locally, striving to meet the needs of the Omani market. Innotech had earlier developed many projects using 3D printing technology for the public, private and military sectors, in addition to individual projects. However, this is the first experience for the Company to implement this technology in construction,” Al Mandhari stated.

He added that the Company is currently working on developing several small buildings using this technology.