The Sagrada Familia is set to become the tallest religious building in Europe when the latest stage in its decades-long construction - the raising of six new towers - is complete. The Antoni Gaudi-designed cathedral, which already dominates the Barcelona skyline, will take the mantle from the Ulm Minster in Germany when the highest of its towers is in place. The Tower of Jesus Christ will be 172.5 meters tall, according to the cathedral's chief architect, Jordi Fauli, who announced that his aim was to have the new towers in place by 2026 - the centenary of Gaudi's death. In what is one of the longest-running construction projects undertaken, the foundation stones of the Sagrada Familia were first laid 133 years ago in 1882. Mr Fauli, who became the chief architect in 2012, declined to give an absolute date for the building's eventual completion. "It's difficult to predict but we can say that it will be completed by 2030, 2032," he said. He said that about 70 per cent of the construction was completed. In March of this year the cathedral chief architect announced that 3D printers 3D models of the building, following Gaudi's designs. The announcement coincided with the beginning of the final phase of raising the six towers. The Tower of Jesus Christ will be crowned by a cross at its highest point, while the other five towers are dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the four apostles. The main tower is designed to rise above the cathedral's central chamber, which until 15 years ago did not even have a roof. Only one of the facades was completed by the time of Gaudi's death in 1926. St Peter's Basilica in Rome will remain the tallest internal religious structure in Europe. The Sagrada Familia has survived the Spanish Civil War, the Franco dictatorship and the meltdown of the Spanish economy during the recent debt crisis. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the cathedral annually attracts more than 3.2 million visitors, who help to pay for the annual construction budget of US$ 28 million.

The Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, Spain, has been under construction for more than 130 years, but now thanks to the 21st century technology of 3D printing, the 19th century project may finally be completed by 2026. This is perhaps one of the longest active construction projects on the planet. Construction work began in 1882, but only a quarter of the church was completed at the time of his death in 1926. Although there is still much work left to be done to complete Gaudi's vision, the church is already structurally sound, open to the public, and completely stunning, reported BBC. In part because of its long lifespan, this project has captivated architects and designers since its inception. What delights folks now is the amazing progress that 3D printing has enabled the present-day architecture team to stay as true as possible to the intent of the design's original creator. Project leaders began using 3D printing in 2001, but the technology has advanced so much in recent years that it is now more useful and accurate than ever. Chief architect Jordi Coll believes that Gaudi himself would have been a great proponent of 3D-printed architecture. "Due to the complexity of surfaces and forms, working with Gaudi's designs in 2D does not make sense from an architectural point of view," he said, as quoted by 3D Systems. "If Gaudi was alive today, he would have brought 3D technology to its maximum exponent, since much of his work was already conceived tri-dimensionally." Due to the scale of the project, Sagrada Familia has its own technical studio which acquired two 3D printers to help with the construction. The printers are being used, in large part, to reconstruct 3D models of the building, following Gaudi's designs. The original plaster models created from Gaudi's 2D drawings were almost completely destroyed by vandals during the Spanish Civil War, along with most of his writings and photographs. Architects are working hard to use modern technology to piece back together Gaudi's design, and the progress they've made on the building has most visitors feeling like they must be doing a good job.

The first Armenian Church opened in Abu-Dhabi at the end of last year. It has been designed according to Armenian traditions and architectural style. The 2,475-square-meter building has three main structures placed in a U-shape. The main church building stands on the right and next to it in the centre stands the archbishopric. On the left is a building partially constructed of glass and decorated with the Armenian alphabet. A statue of Mesrop Mashtots, the theologist and linguist who founded the Armenian alphabet, lies ahead. In 2005, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed donated land to build the Armenian Church. Then project authors started gathering donations from the Armenian community in the UAE and Kuwait. Construction of Church began in 2012.

According to AnalitikaUA.net, the Union of Armenians of Ukraine has informed that a considerable work has been done on the site provided by the Kiev city authorities for the construction of the Armenian Cathedral. The decision to start the construction of the Cathedral was made in 2012, but the construction works did not start until a number of key issues were solved. As previously reported, the construction of churches is one of the main activities of the Union of Armenians of Ukraine. According to the head of the UAU Vilen Shatvoryan, the construction of churches, besides to serve Armenians of Ukraine, mostly aimed to represent Armenian culture to the people of Ukraine.

President Pranab Mukherjee will lay the foundation of the 213-meter Sri Krishna temple in Vrindavan on November 16, which backers say will be the world's tallest. Construction work has already begun on the piling for the pillars of the Chandrodaya Mandir, using the latest technology. The chief project director Bharat Prabhu, who keeps shuttling between Vrindavan and Bangalore, said "The US $49 million project...will take five years. We are using the world's latest technology and engineering processes to ensure a minimum life of 500 years for the gigantic structure that will go a long way to promote and nourish Sri Krishna consciousness, especially among the youth. The project is conceptualized and is being executed by ISKCON from Bangalore, which is partnering with Akshaya Patra, the world's largest non-governmental organization (NGO), which runs midday meal programs in the country feeding over a million school children every day. Prabhu said "this is a culturally and socially driven project which aims to put Vrindavan and India on the world map of iconic heritage structures. The project also employs many technologically innovative solutions to ensure environmental sustainability." This grand temple will harmoniously combine elements of both Indian temple architecture and modern architecture. A look-alike of the verdant forests of Vrindavan, consisting of twelve forests, will be recreated around the temple. Water from the Yamuna will be lifted and pumped to the meandering rivulet that will allow for boating and support aquatic life particular to the Braj area.