Ten viewpoints where dramatic architecture rivals the landscape
From daring cantilevers to dizzying helical staircases and hyperboloids, viewpoints are an opportunity to show off that some architects find irresistible. Here, we round up 10 lookouts where the architecture almost seems to compete with the vista.
Titlis Tower, Switzerland, by Herzog & de Meuron
For this recently completed project, Herzog & de Meuron converted a 1980s telecommunications tower on the popular Mount Titlis in Switzerland into a visitor attraction.
The Swiss architecture studio inserted two cantilevered blocks crosswise into the antenna tower and added four vertical circulation volumes, bringing brooding industrial majesty to the Alpine landscape.
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Danish architecture studio BIG needs little encouragement to go big (pun intended) on architectural flourishes.
For the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Wadden Sea National Park in south-western Denmark, it constructed a 25-metre-tall spiralling double-helix viewing tower from Corten steel.
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Nujiang River 72 Turns Canyon Scenic Area, China, by Archermit
The catchily named Nujiang River 72 Turns Canyon Scenic Area in Tibet features a glass-floored viewpoint that loops out over the river 130 metres below.
Its shape mimics the hair-raising hairpin bends that the adjacent highway is known for, with the dangerous route sometimes called The Devil's Road.
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The Nomads' Beacon Tower, China, by Büro Ziyu Zhuang
This viewing tower, erected by Chinese architecture studio Büro Ziyu Zhuang off the east shore of Laolihai Lake, was designed as the companion piece to a nearby public gallery that resembles an alien spaceship.
It is connected to land by only one access route, which is submerged when the lake rises during summer, leaving the building cut off to stand as a solitary monument.
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Pujiang Platform, China, by MVRDV
A 10-metre-high window looks out onto a projecting balcony at this viewpoint in the hills of Chengdu. Dutch studio MVRDV recently added the grass-covered domed pavilion, emulating a hill that was flattened to create the old lookout and providing shelter for visitors.
Inside, the roof slopes upwards and the floor slopes down, creating what the architects describe as a "telescopic" effect that draws people towards the window and balcony.
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Westerpunt, Belgium, by Studio Moto
This concrete beach structure's rises and falls were designed to echo the nearby sand dunes on the edge of the Westhoek nature reserve.
"The dynamic character of the construction provides the walker with a maximal landscape experience," said Belgian architecture practice Studio Moto. "The walk along the promenade is currently linear. The loop makes the walk more dynamic and spatial."
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Espina, Mexico, by Emiliano Domínguez and Santiago Martínez
Suspended gabions provide a counterweight to the steel cantilever in this pavilion, which sits high above a cattle ranch in Santiago de Querétaro.
An open platform extends out from the hillside, providing panoramic views of mountainous central Mexico.
Watchtower Einderheide, the Netherlands, by NEXT Architects
A curved cut-out reveals the spiral staircase that winds its way up to the top of this wooden tower, which affords views across the treetops of the Einderheide forest.
It's located on a flight path for tree-dwelling bats, so Dutch studio NEXT Architects chose to incorporate roosts for the winged nocturnal creatures.
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Drifting Stones, China, by DoDesign
Seeking to completely immerse visitors in the landscape with this pavilion, Chinese studio DoDesign concealed a panoramic viewing area underneath a stepped roof of imitation stone.
Steel frames were covered with poured cement mixed with stone powder, with local artisans then hand-chiselling the surface to mimic the textures of the surrounding rocky valley.
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Observation Tower Kärven, Sweden, by White Arkitekter
Swedish studio White Arkitekter constructed this 12-metre-tall observation tower in a Getterön nature reserve using 140 timber beams arranged in a hyperboloid structure.
The architects likened the design, which was developed using parametric modelling and calculation software, to a bundle of twisted straws.
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