Ten dramatic viewpoints where architecture rivals the landscape
Dezeen rounds up 10 lookouts where architects have created dramatic structures that compete with the surrounding vistas. The selection includes Titlis Tower in Switzerland by Herzog & de Meuron, a converted 1980s telecommunications tower with cantilevered blocks; Marsk Tower in Denmark by BIG, a 25-metre-tall spiralling double-helix Corten steel tower in a UNESCO World Heritage Site; Nujiang River 72 Turns Canyon Scenic Area in Tibet by Archermit, featuring a glass-floored viewpoint looping over the river 130 metres below; The Nomads' Beacon Tower in China by Büro Ziyu Zhuang, a viewing tower off Laolihai Lake that becomes isolated when the lake rises; Pujiang Platform in China by MVRDV, a grass-covered domed pavilion with a telescopic interior; Westerpunt in Belgium by Studio Moto, a concrete beach structure echoing sand dunes; Espina in Mexico by Emiliano Domínguez and Santiago Martínez, a cantilevered pavilion with gabion counterweights; Watchtower Einderheide in the Netherlands by NEXT Architects, a wooden tower with bat roosts; Drifting Stones in China by DoDesign, a pavilion with a hand-chiselled imitation stone roof; and Observation Tower Kärven in Sweden by White Arkitekter, a 12-metre-tall hyperboloid timber structure.
Key facts
- Herzog & de Meuron converted a 1980s telecommunications tower on Mount Titlis into a visitor attraction with cantilevered blocks.
- BIG's Marsk Tower is a 25-metre-tall spiralling double-helix viewing tower made of Corten steel in Wadden Sea National Park, a UNESCO site.
- Archermit's Nujiang River 72 Turns Canyon Scenic Area has a glass-floored viewpoint 130 metres above the river, mimicking nearby hairpin bends.
- Büro Ziyu Zhuang's Nomads' Beacon Tower is connected to land by one access route that submerges in summer, isolating the tower.
- MVRDV's Pujiang Platform is a grass-covered domed pavilion with a telescopic interior that draws visitors to a balcony.
- Studio Moto's Westerpunt is a concrete beach structure designed to echo sand dunes in the Westhoek nature reserve.
- Espina by Emiliano Domínguez and Santiago Martínez uses suspended gabions as a counterweight for a steel cantilever above a cattle ranch.
- NEXT Architects' Watchtower Einderheide incorporates roosts for bats as it is located on a flight path.
- DoDesign's Drifting Stones pavilion has a stepped roof of imitation stone hand-chiselled by local artisans.
- White Arkitekter's Observation Tower Kärven is a 12-metre-tall hyperboloid structure made of 140 timber beams.
Entities
Artists
- Herzog & de Meuron
- BIG
- Archermit
- Büro Ziyu Zhuang
- MVRDV
- Studio Moto
- Emiliano Domínguez
- Santiago Martínez
- NEXT Architects
- DoDesign
- White Arkitekter
Institutions
- Dezeen
- UNESCO
Locations
- Switzerland
- Mount Titlis
- Denmark
- Wadden Sea National Park
- Tibet
- China
- Laolihai Lake
- Chengdu
- Belgium
- Westhoek nature reserve
- Mexico
- Santiago de Querétaro
- Netherlands
- Einderheide forest
- Sweden
- Getterön nature reserve
Sources
- Dezeen —