On February 29^th and as part of its ‘Building a Better Africa’ series, ConstructAfrica  hosted a webinar titled “Innovative Construction Materials and Technology for Africa.”

ConstructAfrica is a leading global resource providing news, insights, and industry expertise about construction, infrastructure, and the built environment in Sub-Saharan Africa.  The ‘Building a Better Africa’ webinar series  was designed to  bring together industry experts to share their knowledge, insights, and experiences on important topics affecting construction sectors across Africa.

The “Innovative Construction Materials and Technology for Africa” webinar featured Charles Malek, Partner‐in‐Charge for Structures and Bridges Engineering at Dar, who shared insights into 3D concrete printing and its potential in providing innovative and sustainable construction techniques that can transform the future of the field.

Throughout his presentation, Charles summarised Dar’s expertise and experience in leveraging 3D printing to provide better construction outcomes. He also explained the advantages of using 3D printing, from giving more liberty to the architects to innovate shapes that would be more difficult to build using traditional techniques, to adding value by using parametric design approaches, generating multiple solutions while optimising the use of material, and eliminating construction waste. Charles also highlighted Dar’s experience with 3D printing technology, which encompasses ground-breaking research projects and innovative ventures, including two Smart Bridge pilot projects with Autodesk that make use of generative design, 3D printing, robotics, and artificial intelligence to explore a pathway towards a safer and more sustainable the construction industry. In practice, Dar had already applied these principles to design the world’s tallest 3D printed concrete tower, Qatar’s Desert Nest Pavilion for Expo Floriade 2022.

“We're widening our partnership with interested clients who are the champions of those new projects as well as with 3D printing industry players and technology providers all over the region, so that we can explore more opportunities and grow this type of emerging technology to the to the best interest of our societies.” – Charles Malek

Charles was joined by a panel of experts, featuring:

• Hussein Mohammed, Professor of Civil Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
• Dr Theophilus Shittu, UNESCO Chair in Earthen Architecture, Building Cultures, and Sustainable Development & Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for BSc Architectural Technology at the University of Northampton, UK
• Grace Atieno Odhiambo, Head of Design at Cubes and Containers Design, Kenya
• Ronald Mbiu, Consultant Quantity Surveyor and Construction Project Manager, Kenya

The panel discussed advanced construction materials and technology tailored to Africa’s unique landscape, covering current demand trends, local infrastructure needs, sustainability, and the potential for expanding intra-Africa sales.

To uphold our commitment to sustainability, Dar can offer our clients innovative designs using 3D printing technologies, which can reduce construction waste, streamline construction processes, and create opportunities for using more sustainable materials.