Qatar starts printing 40,000m² school project with ‘world’s biggest’ 3D printers

The BOD2 3D Construction Printer at work on a different project. Image: COBOD

The 3D Printed Schools Project – located in Qatar – involves the construction of 14 public schools, including two built using 3D printing technology, each with a built-up area of 20,000 square meters – totalling 40,000 square meters

The two schools are designed as two-storey buildings on plots measuring 100m by 100m each.

The project is being delivered by UCC Holding, a Qatari-based international Energy, Concessions and Construction company, in partnership with the Public Works Authority (Ashghal).

UCC Holding commissioned COBOD to supply two customised BODXL printers, each measuring 50m long, 30m wide, and 15m high, making them the largest construction printers in the world. Printing operations have now officially begun.

UCC Holding says that it has assembled a dedicated 3D construction team consisting of architects, civil engineers, material scientists, and printer technicians. Over the past eight months, this team conducted over 100 full-scale test prints using a BOD2 printer at a dedicated trial site in Doha, developing concrete mix designs, validating performance under local climate conditions, and engineering a custom print nozzle to ensure precision and smooth extrusion.

Architecturally, the schools are inspired by the natural desert formations of Qatar, with curved, flowing walls resembling sand dunes. This design is only made possible by the geometric freedom that 3D printing offers.

The schools are expected to be completed by the end of 2025.