Over 900 3D Printed Tiles Used for Luxury Hotel in Dubai

If you follow news in additive manufacturing, you may have already heard of the Dutch architecture studio RAP. The firm has been using 3D printing for several years to create original, complex structures that often serve as decorative or ornamental features. That’s exactly the topic today: RAP has designed two 3D-printed ceramic walls for a new luxury hotel in Dubai. The project, named Blue Voyage, was installed in the lobby of the Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, a five-star property that combines luxury and wellness, all set on the oceanfront.

The two walls are located at the hotel’s entrance, making them one of the first things guests see. The goal was to evoke the movement of waves through curved shapes, flowing lines, and a material that interacts with light, much like sunlight reflecting on the ocean. Looking at the photos, you really get the feeling of walking between two waves, with their gentle undulations. The chandelier installed above also contributes to this sense of grandeur.

One of the two walls featuring the tiles.

According to RAP, the walls themselves measure 6 meters high and 9 meters wide. Yet it’s not so much the size that captures our attention, but the 900 tiles that make up this Blue Voyage. The studio 3D printed all of these ceramic pieces in its Rotterdam workshop. Each tile was parametrically modeled to control the overall shape of the wall and adjust the design as needed along the way.