Video: Saudi ministry builds house in 48 hours

A precast house in Riyadh has been built in two days as Saudi Arabia’s government steps up efforts to accelerate innovation and increase homeownership.

Modular concrete was used by a local company to build the one-storey property in the kingdom’s capital city.

Construction of the villa started on 23 December, 2018, and the entire building was completed in just two days.

The project is part of the government’s Building Technology Motivation Initiative, which aims to accelerate the adoption of modern construction techniques and technologies and strengthen the private sector.

البيت جاهز 😍
بعد شوي بجيب لكم تفاصيله pic.twitter.com/OO5Ajq12io

— محمد النحيت (@M_Alnhet) December 25, 2018

In conjunction to this, Saudi officials want to improve “localisation” and “speed up” construction processes, Saudi Arabia’s state-run news agency said.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Housing, Majed bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, and Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Eng Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Abdul Karim, inspected the precast property on 25 December.

Increasing innovation in the construction sector is important to Saudi Arabia's plan to increase homeownership to 60% in 2020 and 70% by 2030.

This is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy, which Naji Atallah, head of AEC and manufacturing at US-based Autodesk, told Construction Week this March “cannot be achieved” if the country fails to adopt 3D printing, augmented reality, and virtual reality.

The country is already ramping up the adoption of disruptive technology. Saudi’s National Housing and Industrial Development and Logistics Program announced this November that it had completed work on a 3D-printed building.

Located on Ministry of Housing land in Riyadh, the project was reported to be yet another demonstration of the kingdom’s concerted efforts to stay abreast of the latest technologies in the construction space.

State news outlet SPA reported the 3D-printed house would be open for architects, engineers, and construction specialists.