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Elephant Dung Builds Tower in Thailand
25 Sep
Summary
- Architect uses elephant dung mixed with soil and cement for bricks.
- Goya Tower, a sculptural structure, is built from these handmade bricks.
- The tower aims to highlight the relationship between elephants, material, and place.
In Thailand, architect Boonserm Premthada has developed an innovative construction material from elephant dung. Following the completion of the Elephant World project in 2021, Premthada observed a surplus of elephant dung in local villages. He began experimenting with this material, mixing it with soil, cement, and natural pigments to create bricks. This led to the creation of Goya Tower, a striking sculptural building in Phang Nga, southern Thailand, constructed almost entirely from these unique, handmade bricks.
The dung bricks are formed by hand, sun-cured, and come in five natural colors. They are stacked onto steel rods to form cylindrical columns that serve as both the tower's surface and its structural core. These columns define the tower's internal walkways, offering visitors a climbable structure with evolving views of the surrounding landscape.
Named after a local elephant, Goya Tower stands at the entrance to a resort development near 'Elephant Mountain,' a place significant in local legend. The tower, designed by Premthada's Bangkok Project Studio, aims to visualize the age-old relationship between elephants, the land, and the people who share it. This project is part of Premthada's broader, non-human-centric architectural philosophy.
Premthada's work, including the Elephant Theatre Pavilion and installations for the Venice Architecture Biennale, emphasizes designing with elephants rather than solely for humans. He views this approach as creating necessary structures that support the coexistence of people, elephants, and the local economy, turning a community's excess material into a sustainable building solution.
