A world record with a strong Brabant flavor was set at the Floriade Expo in Almere. It is a 3D printed version of the Burj al-Hamam: a pigeon tower of which the real version is in Qatar. The colossus, the highest self-supporting 3D printed construction in the world, comes from the printers of Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix in Eindhoven.
In a press release, the company proudly announces that the printed Burj al-Hamam is a tribute to the traditionally built pigeon towers in Qatar. The tower provides a shelter for more than a thousand pigeons during the migration season.
Pigeon poop becomes manure
The real Burj also provides an ecological way of farming, because thanks to a clever construction the droppings of the pigeons can be collected and used as fertilizer for local farms.
The printed version in Almere is already attracting plenty of visitors, both walking and flying. The Brabant tower is therefore accessible, but also at your own risk, the company jokes.
Specs
The specifications of the record tower? The Eindhoven pride has a length of 12.1 meters and it took the printers 107 hours to spit out the 65 pieces that make up the dovecote weighing a total of 56,000 kilos.