Denmark’s Double-Helix Watchtower With A Wider Top Sends Shivers Down Spines
Image via Marsk Camp
A dizzying display towers over UNESCO World Heritage-listed marshland in southwestern Denmark. From afar, the concrete spiral could come across as foreboding, almost appearing as a tornado. Up close, the Marsk Watchtower is rather inviting, welcoming tourists to climb up its 146 steps for a view of the surrounding Wadden Sea National Park and the North Sea.
Freshly opened last month, the 25-meter (82-foot) viewing tower is constructed from about 300 tonnes of Corten steel and supported by a plinth made from 250 tonnes of concrete. The viewing tower, designed by architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), takes after the double-helix formation of DNA, doubling as “both a sculpture and an observation tower,” says Marsk Camp, where the new building is.
To reach the viewing deck, visitors would need to walk 146 steps up, where they’d stand 118 feet above sea level, while it would take just 131 steps to return to the base. “This gives a completely unique perspective on the otherwise flat marsh and a fantastic view over the Wadden Sea National Park,” describes Marsk Camp.
What’s leaving people with a little unease is how the base is visibly smaller than the top. The Marsk Watchtower measures 39 feet at its widest, while the bottom is just 23 feet wide.
Quoting its readers, Dezeen notes the trepidation felt by faraway observers. “This seems to be asking for trouble,” says one person. Another points out that a design like this wouldn’t be approved in the UK, where “a landing would be required every 10 steps to provide an area to rest… [and] break a fall if someone was to trip and tumble down.”
It’s probably not for someone with a fear of heights, but it’s no floating bed in the sky. With that being said, the watchtower is envisioned as wheelchair-accessible, with an elevator built into its core.
[via Dezeen, images via various sources]
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