Philippines Breaks Ground on the World's Tallest 3D-Printed Statue

A 46-foot tribute printed in sections

The Philippines is building what it says will be the world's tallest 3D-printed monument to national hero Jose Rizal. Dapitan City, where Rizal lived in exile from 1892 to 1896, broke ground on the project on August 13 during the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week.

The monument, called "El Dapitanon," will stand 46 feet tall. A 26-foot figure of Rizal will mount a 20-foot concrete pedestal at Rotonda Lawaan in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte. The Department of Science and Technology and the city government are jointly funding the work.

How a 3D printed statue goes up

The process starts with a five-foot-four-inch sculpture of Rizal made by University of the Philippines Diliman professor Jose Manuel Sicat. That original will be scanned, enlarged digitally, and then printed section by section using acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate, or ASA. The material is weather-resistant, which matters for a coastal city that sees heavy sun and rain.

The printed sections will fit around a steel structure and be reinforced with concrete. The national government has allocated P9 million for printing, materials, and transportation. The Dapitan City government will cover the cost of erecting the monument on site.

Why 3D printing for a monument

Large-scale 3D printing for statues and buildings is still unusual enough that the project is drawing attention beyond the Philippines. The technique cuts down on the waste and labor that come with traditional stone carving or mold-based casting, especially for a form this tall. Each section can be printed independently, inspected, and then assembled.

The target completion date is 2027. If the project finishes on schedule, it will claim the record for the tallest 3D-printed Rizal statue anywhere, and it will give Dapitan a modern landmark tied directly to the town's place in Philippine history.