Watch: How Dubai firm’s robots built BAPS Hindu temple’s ‘wall of harmony’

Constructing only during the evenings, using specialised concrete and working tirelessly for 110 hours, a UAE company pulled all stops to create the iconic Wall of Harmony, an integral part of the Hindu BAPS mandir.

Completely 3-D printed, the iconic 47-metre wall at the entrance of the temple was a gift by the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community.

“A couple of months before the opening of the temple, we were approached by the high priest Brahmaviharidas Swami with the concept of the wall of harmony. He explained how it would be placed at the entrance of the temple which will reflect different landmarks and have a design that will pay homage to the Middle East. It was a very last moment project with a very complex design,” Mufadal Ali, founder of Inoventive 3D Solutions, told Khaleej Times.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

When the priest said a big wall, Mufadal and his team thought it would be a five metre wall.

“In 3D printing, four or five meter long walls are considered quite big,” he said. “However, it was only when we visited the site that we realised that it would be a humungous structure, almost 50-meter long.”

The Wall of Harmony became one of the biggest highlights of the temple with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posing with several community leaders in front of the wall as a symbol of unity. With the words ‘Harmony’ written in different languages and the design of a sand dune, the wall also has metal cut-outs of several landmarks from around the world adorning it.

Most challenging project

The wall was one of the biggest and most challenging project that Mufadal’s team had ever done. “Once we understood the scope of the design, we worked really hard to make it a reality,” he said. “We explored several options including printing with different materials and even printing out it in different parts and assembling it. However, we soon realised that we had only one option – printing the wall on site in concrete.”

Watch here, a supplied video of how the wall was 3-D printed:

Although the team had zeroed in on a solution, there were still several challenges ahead of them. “Since this was a last minute project, there was a lot of construction work going on at the temple,” said Mufadel. “This meant, we could only do our printing in the evenings when everything else was quiet and we would continue throughout the night till sunrise.”

Another challenge that the company faced was finding the right mix of concrete. “The traditional way of building with concrete is that you shower it with water so that it dries slowly,” he said. “However, for this method, we needed something that dried quickly but could also withstand the 50℃ heat of the summer months in the UAE.”

• Abu Dhabi BAPS Hindu Mandir leader's trust in UAE Ruler revealed through unseen letter