In Dubai, plans have been unveiled for what would be the world’s first fully functional 3D-printed mosque.
The construction of the 2,000 sq.metre mosque in Bur Dubai is due to begin in October and is expected to be ready to welcome 600 worshippers early in 2025.
Dubai’s Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD), the organisation behind the project, expects it will take about four months to 3D-print the building’s structure and a further 12 months for fit-out.
Ali Al Suwaidi, director of IACAD’s engineering department, said the printer will mix raw materials and a special mix of concrete.
“The cost is 30 per cent higher than building the mosque in the normal way because it is the first of its kind in the world,” Ali Al Suwaidi, director of IACAD’s engineering department, said in a press conference on Thursday 12 January.
“We expect the cost will be similar in the future with 30 years building guarantee.”
The IACAD is co-ordinating with Dubai Municipality to get final approvals on the design.
The mosque marks the latest step in Dubai’s 3D Printing Strategy, which is a global initiative to harness the technology for the good of humanity and position the city as a leader in the field by 2030.
In August 2021, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, issued a decree to regulate the use of 3D printing in the construction industry in Dubai, to promote the emirate as a regional and global centre for the technology.
The legislation was aimed at ensuring that a quarter of the emirate’s buildings are built using the technology by 2030.
Main image: A 3D render of the world’s first 3D-printed mosque (courtesy: JT Partners)
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