Viewing platform

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about viewing platform

NewsSpecification • 4 Oct 2023

10 sculptural watchtowers that provide a new way of seeing the world

Historically, watchtowers were built as a means of surveillance, a key part of a city’s fortifications. Towers used for this purpose continue to exist throughout the world. However, watchtowers in the modern-day sense are typically created as architectural viewing platforms, public spaces that offer a different perspective of the surrounding landscape. These towers are often sculptural in nature and designed to capture the imagination. The watchtowers pictured here are wonderfully curious constructions. A mix of materials, shapes, and sizes, created by architectural studios big and small, they sit in a variety of locations. The towers act as beacons and landmarks, built as must-see attractions and ways in which to revitalize communit... More

NewsNews • 30 Aug 2023

A new Icelandic viewing platform “symbolizes a precious silver ring” belonging to a Viking ancestor

The “Ring of Bjólfur” is a circular viewing platform that will be constructed 650 meters (2,133 feet) above sea level on the slopes of Mount Bjólfur, an impressive peak overlooking Seyðisfjörður in Iceland's Eastern Region. Designed by Copenhagen- and Reykjavik-based ESJA Architecture in collaboration with Arkibygg Arkitektar, the ring is the winning proposal in a competition held by eastern Iceland’s Múlaþing municipality in 2021. Design team The Ring of Bjólfur’s design is an expression of simplicity. The modest concrete structure will sit on a rugged slope: hovering at its edge, the platform will offer an eye-catching vista across Seyðisfjörður... More

NewsNews • 10 Oct 2022

LAAB Collective + Signature Design Communication propose a tactile streetscape in Montreal

Based in Montreal, Canada, Agora Maximus celebrates tactile urbanism through a modular streetscape installation designed by the Canadian creative studio LAAB  Collective and a multidisciplinary agency, Signature Design Communication (SDC). Raphaël Thibodeau The project commemorates the temporary pedestrianization of Montreal’s Saint-Denis’s Street with viewing decks and vantage points placed along its length, allowing people to enjoy the urban landscape and its diverse cultural attractions. The concept strives to playfully depict the essence of the fabled street with its distinctive Latin character. Raphaël Thibodeau Continuing the legacy of Montreal’s Quartier Latin, the design shows an... More

Project • By HOLLEGHA arquitectosIndividual Buildings

Duero Lookout

The biggest challenge of the project was the static solution for the cantilever platform. The old vantage point was on a heavily indented mass of rock resting on an inclined plane. For this reason, the static approach of the new vantage point is based on a foundation plate that is stuck in the rock massif as a counterweight. As a result, the less stable rock area is not stressed. Fundación Patrimonio Natural de Castilla y León Due to its length of 12.8m and the location on the steep slope, the platform offers completely new perspectives. At its end there is an opening covered with a steel grating that allows a vertical view over the steep slope and its massive rocks . The railing serves as a lateral bridge for the two b... More

Project • By spillmann echsle architektenShops

Freitag Flagship Store

The Geroldstrasse district is characterised by its location at the crossroads between several transportation axes: on one side the Hardbrücke and Gerold ramp, opposite the railway viaduct and the wide railyard. Scattered small buildings with lively transitional uses and intensively used empty lots influence the character of the nearby surroundings to this day. The standardised 20-foot shipping container is transformed into a building block for an architectural intervention. A stepped tower rises9 units up from a 5 x 2-unit base. Originally built from 17 units with a subsequent extension of the shop by 2 lateral modules, today 19 refurbished overseas containers form the Freitag Flagship Store. The containers were... More

Project • By AIDIA STUDIOPromenades

Al Wathba Birdwalk

While there are countless examples of bird watching structures around the world, there are none dedicated to the observation of flamingos in their nesting habitats. Traditional birdwatch structures tend to take enthusiasts up in altitude close to the tree canopies where birds nest and rest. These structures are often located in remote forested areas and tend to be camouflaged to avoid scaring the birds away.For the Al Wathba observation structure, we are presented with a very different challenge, this is not a conventional bird watching tower as Flamingos tend to stay in the ground close to the salty bodies of water which are their food source, building their nests close to the shore. It takes up to thirty days for the eggs to hatch and par... More