'High-end' 3D printed holiday park planned for Dubbo: Contour3D CEO Nick Holden

The eco holiday park planned by 3D construction printing company Contour3D will sprawl over thirty acres of land directly opposite the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, on the corner of Obley and Camp road.

"It will be good for people wanting to visit Dubbo and visit the zoo the observatory and the winery. It provides very close locality to those since accommodation at the zoo is very limited," Contour3D founder and director, Nick Holden, told Daily Liberal.

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The park will be designed by Julian Brenchley, known to many for as the architect from The Block. It will cost about $30 million to construct and is expected to be worth $50 million once completed.

More than 100 cabins, a water park, barbeque and pool area, caravan spaces with ensuite bathrooms, an office block and maintenance shed, will be built by 3D printers.

As a caravan owner himself, Mr Holden said ensuite bathrooms would be a "big benefit" for visitors even if they have toilets in their caravans.

"What we're looking to do with the eco cabins is we really don't want them to look like a square box like all the rest of them; pre-fabricated offsite, then dumped onsite. We're looking to build sort of beehives, two-storey beehives," Mr Holden said.

Since their 3D printer is capable of printing staircases, the 'beehive' cabins will have a kitchen, living area, bathroom and bedroom downstairs with a second bedroom upstairs, possibly at mezzanine level. The cabins will be well-suited for families with two or three children.

"The standard cabins just don't cut it really," Mr Holden said.

"We want to make this a very high-end facility... not the sort of the old 1980s parks which clutter the regional sites in Australia at the moment."

Exploratory boring works for water supply will start in December this year with civil engineering expected to begin in early 2023. Each cabin will take a day to print depending on how many 3D printers would be used on the site. At this stage, Mr Holden hopes to open the park in late 2024.

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Each cabin will have double cavity walls which will be insulated to protect against harsh weather conditions. The cement used to build these cabins will also use locally found materials.

"We're looking to incorporate a passive design inside the cabins to use the natural airflow and to sort of provide a lot of insulation in the winter," Mr Holden said.

Contour3D is also looking at options to store energy onsite. The roofs of under cover parking will be used to generate solar energy and power the site through battery packs.

"We want to incorporate a renewable source. Whether it's 100 per cent, I doubt it, but definitely a large portion of it is expected to generated from renewable sources," Mr Holden said.

The 3D printed holiday park will use desalinated underground water and will not rely on the town water supply.

"With the underground water source, we are also looking to make the park a lush, tree and plant filled environment," Mr Holden said.

The company is also seeking local advice and consultation to incorporate Indigenous designs in the holiday park.

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"I'm a big fan of Dubbo," Mr Holden said. "Personally, I'm engaged with Dubbo, and I think it's a very good tourist destination."

He had taken his kids to all the sites in Dubbo including the zoo, observatory and dirt track. He said the city was a large holiday destination easily accessed by car for people from Greater Sydney and other metropolitan areas.

Contour3D is branching into the housing sector as well, Mr Holden was consulted for council's 3D printed housing trial planned to begin next year. His company has been focusing on providing sustainable housing and construction. They want to automate the construction industry to allow Australians to build more houses "better, faster, and more cost effectively."

"[Housing] is a big problem at the moment," Mr Holden said.

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