TOWER WITH A VIEW

Design duo Bilska de Beaupuy conceived the bird observation tower for a nature park in Latvia. The shape of the tower is inspired by the symbol of Auseklis, a Latvian folklore deity symbolizing light and hope.

The designers figured that a star shape has a greater perimeter than a square of the same surface area. This allowed them to accommodate more people along the balconies, facilitating a broader field of view for each birdwatcher.

The tower contains two platforms with different properties. The top platform provides unobstructed 360-degree views to see birds in open water and in the sky. The lower platform provides a more intimate viewing experience with ceiling and façade reed panels that protect bird viewers from wind, sun and rain. 

The tower is made of overlapping standard local timber boards that perform as both a structural system and a building façade. The use of small elements allows the architects to create a free-form shape with a robust structure by combining aesthetic qualities such as lightness and light transmission with rigidity or flexibility.

By using innovative digital design techniques and fabrication methods, the tower’s iconic shape can easily be built from standard elements, providing optimal non-invasive and low-energy construction in the remote landscape area. 

The bridge balustrade and façade panels are made of reed, which has been used in traditional architecture and is still used for local craft. The project follows the ‘cradle to cradle’ principle, meaning the design does not generate waste. All the elements in the tower have mechanical joints to allow for easy disassembly, simple maintenance, safe reuse and recycling of building materials.

Via designboom | Images courtesy of Bilska de Beaupuy