They Spent a Year Making Bricks From Elephant Dung to Build a Tower!
Elephant dung, previously utilized in the production of fertilizer, paper, and even coffee, has now become one of the fundamental materials for an extraordinary structure. In Thailand, hundreds of colorful bricks, prepared over a year-long effort, were transformed into a tower that visitors can enter and observe the surroundings.
Plant fibers found in elephant dung have been transformed into building materials.
Elephants primarily feed on grass, leaves, and fruits. However, not all of this food is broken down during digestion, leaving a high amount of natural plant fiber in their feces. Architect and artist Boonserm Premthada sought to transform this fibrous material into a usable substance when designing the Goya Tower.
At first glance, the use of elephant dung in architecture may seem surprising, yet the incorporation of animal manure into building materials has been a practice for thousands of years. In the Goya Tower, this tradition has been reinterpreted with a more contemporary and artistic design. The result is not just a project that utilizes waste, but a symbolic structure that narrates the relationship between the local people and the elephants.
Each brick was hand-molded and dried in the sun.
Each of the circular bricks used in the tower was handcrafted. The pieces, approximately 33 centimeters in diameter and 5 centimeters thick, were shaped in molds and then dried under the sun instead of being put into a kiln. This process ensured the preservation of the material's natural texture during production.
The preparation, coloring, and conditioning of the bricks for use in the tower was a lengthy process. The completion of the project took about a year. Because each piece was handmade, the bricks were not perfect replicas of each other; slight differences became part of the structure's organic and layered appearance.
The bricks threaded onto steel rods created colorful columns.
Bricks made from elephant dung don't carry the entire load of the structure on their own. Steel rods are threaded through the voids at the center of the circular pieces, and the bricks are stacked on top of these supports. This results in numerous cylindrical columns at various heights.
The bricks, prepared in five different colors, are arranged in a pattern inspired by layered and colorful rock candy. Visitors can ascend the stairs inside the tower and wander through winding passages. The gaps between the columns, on the other hand, offer the chance to view the surrounding scenery from different angles.
The tower was named Goya, after the female elephant born in the region.
The Goya Tower is located in the Phang Nga region in the south of Thailand. Elephants hold a significant place in the region's life and cultural identity. Nearby, there is a limestone mountain called Khao Chang, which is known as 'Elephant Mountain' due to its resemblance to a reclining elephant.
The tower is named after a female elephant named Goya who was born in the region. The structure greets visitors at the entrance of a large accommodation project. Consequently, it serves both as a viewing point and a transitional structure narrating the historical connection the region has established with elephants.
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