birdhouse rooftile by klaas kuiken

‘birdhouse rooftile’ by klaas kuikenall images courtesy of klaas kuiken

looking to find a solution to the shrinking bird population in urban areas, klaas kuiken consulted with the vogelbescherming (dutch bird association) to conceive the ‘birdhouse rooftile’, a design which offers more places in which our feathered friends may rest and feed within the city.

birds often create nesting areas within the roofs of houses, and so taking this into consideration, the dutch designer has taken a standard rooftile and constructed an archetypal house to be attached on top of it with a basket below – accessed by an opening – in which they may find shelter. in this manner, kuiken has harnessed their typical behaviors to create a safe haven where they would in any case normally nestle, while providing them with good ventilation and protection from domestic creatures such as cats.

the basket is composed of a wooden slate framed with a screen which creates a comb-like barrier so birds cannot pass through. placed directly under the rooftile, this component ensures that they are unable to reach the entire covering of a building, while also making it easy to clean after the breeding period is over.

the ‘birdhouse tiles’ are produced at dijkstra keliwaren in sneek, the netherlands, and after much anticipation, are finally available for order!

birds prefer nesting in groups so applying several ‘birdhouse rooftiles’ together is recommended

detail

the archetypal birdhouse structure is attached to the tile with a special glue which makes it resistant to extreme temperatures so that it does not come loose in the winter

‘birdhouse rooftiles’ in the dijkstra kleiwaren factory in sneek, where they are made

awaiting finishing