In recent years, 3D-printing has been used to build everything from homes to businesses and even bridges. Now, Dubai is set to construct the world’s first 3D-printed mosque.

The structure will accommodate 600 worshippers and cover 2,000 square meters over two floors, according to Ali Mohammad Alhalyan Alsuwaidi, head of engineering at the Dubai Government’s Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD). It will be made from a concrete mix, with construction planned to begin by the end of year and expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.

“We elected to 3D-print the mosque because it’s a new and innovative technology that can potentially save time and resources compared to traditional building methods,” Alhalyan Alsuwaidi said.

Constructing buildings using 3D-printing requires large printing machines that are programmed with the design information. They squeeze out the construction material from a nozzle, building up the structure in layers. The vast majority of 3D-printed structures are made from concrete, but it is possible to print using other materials, such as clay.

Dubai has set out to become the 3D-printing capital of the world, and in 2018 it launched a “3D Printing Strategy” that planned for 25% of the emirate’s new construction to be 3D-printed by 2030. By 2019 it held the world record for the largest 3D-printed structure — the Dubai Municipality building (standing 9.5 meters tall with an area of 640 square meters) — as well as being home to the world’s first 3D-printed office, and a 3D-printed drone research laboratory.

New 3D-printed buildings are popping up across the world — from housing for refugees in Jordan and for homeless people in Austin, Texas, to whole complexes of buildings, such as the 353-square-meter Camp Swift military training center, and entire neighborhoods, like the New Story project in Tabasco, Mexico, which will provide homes for families living in poverty.

Theo Salet is dean of the Department of the Built Environment at Eindhoven University of Technology, in the Netherlands. He is an advocate for modernizing the construction industry through technology such as 3D-printing.

“A vast amount of construction work needs to be done in the coming decades, in the context of a lack of skilled construction workers, an energy transition and a need for the industry to become more sustainable,” he said.

“Digital design and construction will save time ... reduce construction costs and costs of failures, solve the problem of a lack of construction workers and allow us to rethink our designs in terms of sustainability,” he added.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【清真寺】

qīngzhēnsì

mosque

a building used for public worship by Muslims

【难民】

nànmín

refugee

a person who flees to a foreign country to escape danger or persecution

近年来，3D打印被用于建造从住宅到商业甚至桥梁的所有东西。而今，迪拜将建造世界上第一座3D打印清真寺。

迪拜政府伊斯兰事务和慈善活动部（IACAD）工程主管阿里•穆罕默德•阿尔哈利安•阿尔苏瓦迪表示，该建筑分两层，共2000平方米，将能容纳600名信徒。这座混凝土结构的建筑计划年底开始施工，预计2025年一季度建成。

阿尔苏瓦迪说：“我们选择3D打印清真寺，因为与传统的建筑方法相比，这是一项创新技术，可以节省时间和资源。”

用3D打印建造建筑物需要使用设计信息编程的大型打印机，从喷嘴中挤出建筑材料，分层构建结构。绝大多数3D打印结构由混凝土制成，但也可以使用其他材料（如粘土）。

迪拜2018年启动了一项“3D打印战略”，希望成为世界3D打印之都，计划到2030年该酋长国新建筑的25%将采用3D打印技术。

截至2019年，它保持着世界最大3D打印建筑的纪录 — — 迪拜市政大楼（高9.5米，占地面积640平方米） — — 并拥有世界上第一个3D打印办公室和3D打印无人机实验室。

3D打印建筑正在世界各地涌现 — — 从为约旦难民和美国德克萨斯州奥斯汀无家可归的人提供的居所，到整个建筑群（如353平方米的斯威夫特营军事训练中心），以及整个社区（如墨西哥塔巴斯科州为贫困家庭提供住房的“新故事”项目）。

西奥•萨莱特是荷兰埃因霍温理工大学建筑环境系主任，倡导通过3D打印等技术实现建筑业现代化。

他说：“在缺乏熟练的建筑工人、能源转型以及可持续发展的背景下，未来几十年需要完成大量的建筑工作。”

他补充说，“数字化设计施工能节省时间...降低建筑成本和犯错成本，解决建筑工人短缺的问题，并让我们从可持续的角度重新思考设计。”

(SD-Agencies)