MOU with Al Jaber Trading & Contracting to focus on 3D printing of buildings and infrastructure
Published Jun 10, 2020
Officials from Al Jaber Trading and Contracting “JTC” and Texas A&M University at Qatar, a Qatar Foundation partner university, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch a new partnership on 3D printing of buildings and infrastructure in Qatar.
Engr. Mohammed Al Hamayda, General Manager of Al Jaber Trading and Contracting “JTC,” joined Texas A&M at Qatar dean Dr. César Octavio Malavé in signing the MOU during a virtual ceremony.
The State of Qatar has invested substantially in construction of infrastructure. This new collaboration will enable the introduction of advanced technology of 3D printing of buildings and infrastructure in Qatar. The technology will support the production of sustainable 3D-printable concrete that will have improved properties to withstand Qatar’s environmental conditions. The collaborators said this will mean faster and more sustainable construction.
“We have been building in Qatar for over 44 years, and the industry techniques have been developed in some aspects but the essence remained the same,” Al Jaber Trading and Contracting’s Al Hamayda said. “When we looked at how the 3D printing technology can transform the construction into much more sustainable and efficient industry, we started working on the best way to deploy it.”
Al Hamayda added, “Along the way, we found out the great team of Texas A&M University at Qatar also shares the same vision. It is the perfect match between academia and industry, and we trust that soon Qatar will be one of the early successful adopters of this technology in its construction market. We thank Texas A&M at Qatar and we are really proud of being their partner in such a mission.”
Al Jaber Trading and Contracting “JTC” will support Texas A&M at Qatar’s research by providing technical expertise in construction of concrete structures, as well as resources to enable the delivery of the research outcomes to the construction industry in Qatar. Experts from Texas A&M at Qatar will lead research efforts in this area and provide expertise in materials behavior and 3D printing of concrete using a full-scale 3D printer.
Texas A&M at Qatar’s Malavé said the collaboration could have significant impact on construction technology in Qatar and continues Texas A&M at Qatar’s mission of service to the State of Qatar.
“Texas A&M at Qatar is proud to partner with our friends at Al Jaber Trading and Contracting on this cutting-edge work,” Malavé said. “The goal of our research is to find sustainable solutions to challenges here in Qatar and the region, and this work fits squarely in that theme. We are grateful to our partners at Al Jaber Trading and Contacting for their vision, and we look forward to the future successes of this partnership.”