
Dubai will soon be home to the world's first 3D-printed mosque. The emirate's Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) has commissioned the building for Bur Dubai, shown in this rendering. Work is set to begin at the end of this year.

The 2,000-square-meter (21,500 square feet) mosque, pictured in a rendering, will have capacity for 600 worshippers and is scheduled to open its doors in 2025.

In 3D-printed construction, a cement mix is extruded from a nozzle to form layers that create vertical walls.

3D-printed buildings are constructed using huge printers that are taken to a site and programmed to print the desired pattern.

New 3D-printed buildings are popping up across the world. ICON, a Texas-based 3D-construction company, has masterminded several 3D-printed home projects, such as House Zero, pictured here.

ICON is also responsible for projects where entire neighborhoods have been printed, such as the Community First project, built to house homeless people in Texas.

Also in Texas, ICON teamed up with the Texas Military Department to build the first ever 3D-printed army barracks.

In the Netherlands, Eindhoven University of Technology has proposed a series of five homes for its innovative research initiative, Project Milestone.