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Thanks to 3D Printing Pioneers Like Immensa, Dubai Is Building the World’s First Printed Mosque

Dubai’s leadership role in the world of 3D printing has been well established since the mid-2010s, when prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched his pioneering “Dubai 3D Printing Strategy” initiative. As part of this initiative, Al Maktoum placed a concerted focus on concrete 3D printing in the construction sector, working toward a future in which 25 percent of Dubai’s new buildings are 3D printed.

Photo by Minku Kang on Unsplash

The Dubai 3D Printing Strategy allowed the industry pioneer Immensa Technology Labs to file the first construction 3D printing patent in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) roughly five years ago. Since that time, the country has welcomed and supported companies such as ACCIONA, 3DVinci Creations, and the Freyssinet subsidiary Concreative in the creation and development of highly innovative UAE facilities for concrete 3D printing.

Now, the national industry established by Al Maktoum and Immensa is making headlines by building the first 3D printed mosque in world history. According to the UAE news authority The National, the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) of Dubai is set to use the additive manufacturing processes of 3D printing to drive the ground-up construction of a 2,000-square-metre mosque in the Dubai historic district of Bur Dubai.

Slated to open its doors in 2025, this structure is expected to accommodate roughly 600 worshippers. The construction phase of the project is scheduled to begin in October of 2023.

Workers will use three robotic 3D printers that will use additive manufacturing processes to deposit a mixture of specially formulated concrete and other raw materials, layer upon layer, to build the mosque on-site. Each machine is cable of printing two square meters of construction material each hour. At this pace, the mosque will take roughly four months to build. Upon its completion, project managers plan to take an additional year to outfit the mosque with all the facilities and amenities that it will need to serve its congregation.

Although the groundbreaking nature of this revolutionary mosque project comes at a significant price, experts anticipate that concrete 3D printing will become considerably less expensive for future construction projects. Speaking to The National, IACAD engineering department director Ali Al Suwaidi said, “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. We expect the cost will be similar in the future with 30 years building guarantee.”

The IACAD also touts the green nature of using 3D printing to drive additive manufacturing. The organization’s director general, Hamad Al Shaibani, praised the technology’s ability to promote ecological sustainability and reduce the UAE’s overall carbon footprint. “Using 3D printing will reduce the construction material wastes,” he told The National. “It is friendly to the environment.”

While the historical nature of the IACAD mosque project cannot be underestimated, it comes on the heels of other innovative UAE concrete 3D construction initiatives such as the affordable housing complexes of Apis Cor 3D printing and the Dior beach huts of WASP 3D. Even the government of Dubai itself has gotten involved in the world of additive manufacturing, unveiling a new Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) facility that is designed to 3D print build rovers and drones.

There is no doubt about it: Dubai and the UAE have the infrastructure needed to lead the world in advanced 3D printing and additive manufacturing technology. Immensa and other industry pioneers have paved the way for revolutionary advances such as the IACAD mosque.

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