AUD students to help build first 3D-printed house

The JEEL project will design a solar-powered energy efficient residential unit

Students of American University in Dubai (AUD) will collaborate with 3D construction firm Cazza to build the first 3D printed house for the 2018 Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) competition.
The international competition, held in collaboration between the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (Dewa) and the US Department of Energy, will see university students from all over the world design, build and operate a grid-connected, energy-sufficient liveable solar house to be exhibited and evaluated in Dubai in 2018.
Dubai is already home to the world's first fully-functional 3D printed office building by Cazza, located next to Emirates Towers. The building, The Office of the Future, caters to the Dubai Future Foundation.
AUD was shortlisted for the Solar Decathlon Middle East competition in October 2016. Since then, the university has established an effective multidisciplinary team to build an energy efficient house for the Solar Decathlon competition. Students from the AUD School of Engineering, in collaboration with the School of Art, Architecture and Design, and the Mohammed bin Rashid School for Communication, are working closely with companies including Cazza Construction, to utilise the latest technologies in solar power and construction engineering.
Students from disciplines as diverse as civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering; architecture and interior design; journalism and digital production are working together to design, execute, and disseminate relevant information to the public about the project.
Cazza is known for producing a 3D printing construction system that combines the use of mobile 3D printing robots with existing construction methods, to make building processes faster, more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Earlier this year, Cazza agreed to collaborate with the Dubai Government on 3D-printing technologies and enrolled in the Dubai Future Accelerators programme. Dubai has already set a target for 25 per cent of buildings to be 3D-printed by 2030.
"Collaborating with Cazza is in line with our strategic plan to innovate and expose our students to the latest trends and technologies; this is a great learning opportunity to set our future engineers and architects on the right path for future developments. It is a privilege to work with such a high-tech company with cutting edge technologies," said Dr Alaa Ashmawy, dean of the School of Engineering.
"The project incorporates a modern and futuristic design that is perfect for 3D printing. We can't wait to help bring the vision of the Solar Decathlon AUD team to life and show how 3D printing will provide and be a part of an environmentally sustainable solution to housing in the future," added Chris Kelsey, CEO of Cazza.
Electricity generation from solar energy is the key to a sustainable and resourceful future for generations to come. AUD's project JEEL (meaning "generation" in Arabic), has been selected to reflect this message. Taking a critical step toward the development of sustainable cities in the future, JEEL employs affordable, resource-efficient, and both user and eco-friendly technologies in constructing a solar-powered energy efficient residential unit. The architectural design of the sustainable house addresses relevant traditional, modern, and innovative architectural elements to accommodate a sustainable living environment while maintaining aspects of the Emirati culture.
Twenty-two teams among a host of university submissions from countries around the world including Austria, USA, Finland, France, UAE, Spain, and Taiwan were chosen to move forward based on their initial proposals in the SDME.
saman@khaleejtimes.com