The construction of corpus
Who came up with that 35-metre-high giant body? The idea came from the founder of the educational attraction, Henri Remmers. Then an architect came up with what the building should look like and how it could be built.
Steel plates
First, the CORPUS building was erected. A wooden frame in the shape of a man was made against that building. Wooden plates were placed over it and then the body was covered with special steel plates. The steel is very thin: no more than 1 millimetre thick. Yet it is as heavy as lead. The head alone weighs 16,000 kg. That is about as much as three large elephants.
The reddish-brown colour comes from Corten steel, which rusts quickly. Once the whole surface has rusted, it protects the underlying steel.
Tip: Do you like to see special buildings? Then go to Madurodam. There you will find the Netherlands in miniature and there are many emblematic buildings there. CORPUS was also built in miniature there.
Safety
Hundreds of steel plates were used to create the shape of a body. The architect had to comply with all kinds of rules. Because if you want to build in the Netherlands, it must be done properly and safely. It also has to look good. Each floor of the body is attached to the building next to it. That way, it cannot blow over during a storm.
