Tallest freestanding 3D printed concrete tower Guiness Book World Record set by Qatar

ALMERE, Netherlands: At 12.1 metres tall and with a weight of 56 tonnes, a tower designed by Dar and the Doha Expo 2023 team (Qatar) and the Qatari Ministry of Municipality and 3D printed by Saint Gobain Weber Beamix from Eindhoven, has made it into the Guiness Book of Records as the tallest freestanding 3D printed concrete tower in the world. With this technical prowess and perfection Qatar wows the crowds at the AIPH-approved World Horticultural Expo 2022 Floriade, which is currently under way in Almere, the Netherlands.

On 15 May 2022, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Netherlands, his Excellency H E Nasser bin Ibrahim Al Langawi, the acting Mayor of Almere Mrs Ank Bijleveld, the Dutch King’s Commissioner for the Province of Flevoland Mr Leen Verbeek, the President and Secretary General of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) Bernard Oosterom and Tim Briercliffe, and several international dignataries joined forces in the Guiness World Records ceremony at the feet of what is a replica a traditional Qatari pigeon tower. An official of Guiness World Records presented Eng. Mohammed Ali Al Khoury, Commissioner-General of the Qatari pavilion with the coveted certificate.

Qatari pigeon towers are a shining example of sustainable farming as their well-thoughtout-construction provides shelter to migrating birds and allows to collect the droppings of the pigeons which can be used as fertiliser on local farms.

The structure of Qatar’s record-breaking Desert Nest at Floriade does not include steel reinforcement nor poured concrete. Guiness calculated that this tower emits 60 per cent less CO2 compared to the convential towers. As such it is perfectly in line with Qatar’s ambitions to transform the desert into greener areas, and making cities lush green oases.