This week, Switzerland added another record-breaker to its books thanks to the Tor Alva - the world’s tallest 3D-printed building. The structure towers over the town of Mulegns, Canton Graubünden and is made up of 2.500 layers of 3D-printed material.
On May 20, Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin officially opened the Tor Alva. The "White Tower" stands at 30 metres above the ground, making it by far the tallest building to ever be 3D printed. "This is the future!" Parmelin enthused, comparing it to the Eiffel Tower due to its significance for the region and its status as a pioneer.
The structure itself is made of 32 3D-printed columns designed by experts at ETH Zurich. Architect and designer Benjamin Dillenburger explained that the whole tower is made of 2.500 different layers, meaning each column is made up of 250 kilometres of 3D-printed material.
The president of the university, Jérôme Mesot, told Watson that the tower is an "expression of Swiss innovative strength" in combining the latest know-how in both engineering and science. With the structure using 50 percent less concrete than a comparable tower, he argued that the technology will be useful in reducing emissions when building new homes and other structures.
Video: Origen Festival Cultural / YouTube
The “White Tower” has been designed to commemorate Graubünden pastry chefs, many of whom were forced to emigrate between the 15th and late 18th centuries due to a lack of food, hence why it looks like the lattice on a pie. With the population of the town going from 150 to just 11 people in the last century, it’s hoped the tower will provide the region with much-needed visitors.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Tor Alva, though, with the building opening two years late and costing twice as much as was expected, coming in at 4,4 million francs. The director of the Origen Foundation, the organisation behind the tower, Giovanni Netzer, noted that technological limitations, difficulty in assembling the 3D pieces and the reaction of the material to life in the Swiss mountains, 1.500 metres above sea level, were the main challenges.
Luckily for those who want to see the Tor Alva but don’t want to make the trek to the Albula region, the tower is a mobile exhibit. Though it will tower above the residents of Mulegns for five years, it will then be set up in another town in Graubünden. According to the organisers, five towns have already expressed interest.
Benjamin Hofer | Nova Fundaziun Origen