Observation Tower / Arvydas Gudelis

Courtesy of Arvydas Gudelis

Architects: Arvydas Gudelis
Location: Merkinė, Lithuania
Project Year: 2014
Photographs: Courtesy of Arvydas Gudelis

Design Company: UAB Rekreacinė statyba
Project Team: Arvydas Gudelis, Ričardas Stulpinas, Alvydas Mituzas, Vesta Pobedinskienė
Structural Engineer: Donatas Jatulis
Contractor: AB Montuotojas Montavimo firma Alytuje

From the architect. Place for observation tower, chosen by client, is a high bank of largest river in Lithuania Nemunas. You could see beautiful views from it: the river itself, island, vast forests of Dzūkija region If only you could get above trees…

The bank of the river, at the location is covered with typical for this places pine forest. Client wanted to retain the forest trees, so the he gave a task for a tower that it should be taller than the trees, but at the same time it should blend in to surrounding landscape without huge contrast with it.

After visiting the location, nature and forest them self, suggested the architectural idea for the tower: pine forest. The observation tower is designed not as one huge massive construction, which would dominate in the landscape. Contrary. It is designed in the way that it will blend-in in to surrounding landscape.

The shape, size, color of main tower columns and distances between them, form a little “group of trees”, aka “stand of pines”. Just like a forest surrounding them.

Observation platforms of non-regular shape, just like stylized crowns of a pine trees. In order to get there, you must walk up stairs, which winds around the columns in non-regular manner, just like path winds around the trees in the forest. The “path” leads visitor up, winding around the “trees”.

New views of forest are opening on the way. Journey ends at the large observation platform on the top of the tower, from which opens magnificent views of vast Dzūkija Landscape.