2.2. Rest| Architecture in Open Space

III. 23 Handmade drawing by the author. Contemplation of Nature.

III. 24 Handmade drawing by the author. Closeness to Nature.

Rest | Architecture in Open Space

“Mountains, fjords and the coastline are strong fundamental and recurring elements found in all sections and which therefore must be spiced up with different types of content in order to enhance each area’s distinctiveness. It is crucial that such elements be varied so that the different sections do not converge.”

(Statens Vegvesen, 2008)

In recent times, tourism projects that are close to nature in order to get away from the city, have been the most chosen option by people.

This being the case, architecture adapts very differently in the forest and in the city. In the city the context is formed through architecture, while in nature the context already exists and if there is something architecture can do there, it is to create elements that allow easy contemplation of nature.

Understanding contemplation as that which is done in a lasting and not instantaneous time, it is assumed that the movement must be restricted for a moment to proceed with this action. That is why, parallel to the walk that the movement would represent, the pause is necessary. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the pause is “a short period in which something such as a sound or an activity is stopped before starting again”. In order to appreciate and understand what pause is, action is needed, and vice versa. In this case, as the action is walking, rest is proposed as the user’s alternative to enrich their experience by contemplating the context.

In summary, we foresee that architecture responds to the natural context by enhancing it rather than competing with it, complementing the walking of the footpath with the resting. For doing this, open-space architecture is used as the means for users to enjoy the contemplation of nature on the site. To realize this idea, observation platforms, rest areas, and service facilities have been proposed. On the next pages, different references that highlight what has already been mentioned are analyzed.

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Improving the Experience

What qualities can a built viewpoint have to be attractive when the whole environment offers, by itself, interesting views?

Due to the fact that the project is located on the upper rim of the crater of an active volcano that has a lake in its interior, which creates multiple opportunities for observation throughout its environment.

The viewpoint is planned to be installed on the upper edge of the crater, its main objective is to create a structure that allows uninterrupted observation of the surroundings, where users can reach the border of the cliff safely. However, the question posed by this project appears when the site chosen for the viewpoint is compared with the entire rim of the crater, where, from anywhere, you can have similar views. For this reason, the analysis focuses on what else the viewpoint can offer to make it stand out as a point of interest in this environment.

The response provided by this project is based on creating the opportunity for the visitor to appreciate the place in different ways than one could have from any other point in the caldera. The user experience is enhanced through the creation of a prominent site on the edge of the crater in which the sensation is of floating over the natural scenery, even seeking to make those who stand there feel vertigo. At the same time, a resting place is created, relatively protected from the elements, seeking that whoever uses it has a moment of contemplation and introspection.

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III. 25 Darquea, L. (2015). photography: Panoramic view of Shalala Lodge. III. 26 Handmade drawing by the author. Diagram and section of Mirador Quilotoa Shalala.

Mirador Quilotoa Shalalá - Pujilí, Ecuador

“The sobriety and magnificence of the landscape require that the architectural response is also austere and that it seeks to integrate without competing with the environment”.

“La sobriedad y magnificencia del paisaje, exigen que la respuesta arquitectónica sea también austera y que busque integrarse sin competir con el entorno”.

(Moreno, D. et al., 2014)

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IMPORTANT REMARKS

* THE ADDITIONAL SENSATION THAT THE INTERVENTION OFFERS IN A NATURAL CONTEXT THAT IS ALREADY INTERESTING IN ITSELF * THE DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN REST AREA AND OBSERVATION AREA

III. 27 Darquea, L. (2015). photography: Perspective view of Mirador Quilotoa Shalala.

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To contemplate and be contemplated

The graceful observation platform at Stegastein gives the illusion of floating in space when it reaches 30 meters from the mountainside and 650 meters above the fjord. At the end of the linear element which works as a sort of runway a glass parapet is located and the “footpath” is folded down, creating a continuity that for the user results in the slight sensation of vertigo, allowing a much interesting experience for the user.

The viewpoint relates with the surroundings by its materials and contrast by its geometry. It not only serves to observe the landscape, but the viewpoint itself is also appreciated in the distance in harmony with the rest of natural context for its simple but imposing character.

III. 28 (2018). photography: Panoramic view of Stegastein Fjord. III. 29 (n.d.). photography: Perspective view of Stegastein Viewing Platform.

Viewing Platform - Stegastein, Norway

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IMPORTANT REMARKS

* THE RUNWAY THAT LEADS IN THE PANORAMIC VIEW * THE PROXIMITY OF THE VIEW THROUGH THE CANTILEVER * THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CONTEXT SO IT CAN BE PART OF THE BEAUTIFUL LANSCAPE

III. 30 Handmade drawing by the author. Section and facade of Stegastein Viewing Platform.

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Reaching the trees

Schovenhorst Estate is known for its unique variety of trees. The Tree Tower is an additional element to the Finca, a watchtower from which you can see the surrounding trees. Rather than creating a vertical ascent, SeARCH designed the tower as a condensed path, with every facet of the promenade facing the forest. The branches of the tower host various perspectives along the route; sometimes a view of the sky, then just branches, the ground, or a panorama. In addition to offering different views of the forest, offers different activities within it, such as a rope bed.

The route inside the tower is not rigid, it takes different paths around the main structure, just as the branches of a tree would. This enriches the user experience and lengthens their stay through the curvy path and the activities it offers.

The materials used are wood and metal. Along the footpath, handrails in neon green metal are continuously framing it, making the walkway the center stage due to the color and the perforations on it, creating a translucent effect that relates visually the inside of the structure to the external natural context.

III. 31 Handmade drawing by the author. Diagram of Bostoren Tree Tower concept. III. 32 SeARCH. (n.d.). photography: Stairs view of Bostoren Tree Tower.

Bostoren Tree Tower - Schovenhorst, Netherlands

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“The ‘branches’ of the tower provide opportunities for different activities and perspective views along the vertical route”.

(SeARCH, n.d.)

IMPORTANT REMARKS

* THE IDEA OF CONDENSING THE PATH IN A VERTICAL ELEMENT * THE VARIOUS VIEWPOINTS OFFERED BY THE WATCHTOWER ON THE WAY TO THE TOP * THE USE OF TRANSLUCENT ELEMENTS THAT ALLOW VISUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE FROM INSIDE THE TOWER

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III. 33 Musch, J. (n.d.). photography: View from the ground of Bostoren Tree Tower. III. 34 Musch, J. (n.d.). photography: Perspective view of Bostoren Tree Tower viewpoint.

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Framing the Landscape

The periscope tower is located on the shore of an artificial lake that has been built on top of a hill in the vicinity of the city center of Seinäjoki.

The form of the tower is a simple rectangular prism, used basically as a block of stairs. By taking the stairs up or down one can experience a rich range of small views framed by the various openings in the structure. At the lowest level and at the highest level the openings are larger and frame a more panoramic view.

The inner core made of cross laminated wood forms the frame for an additional large periscope with stairs circling around it. The effect of the perisop allows a user who is in the lowest level of the tower, to observe the same view as the people who are in the last level through a mirror placed on the ceiling. It is also possible to observe the landscape through the walls of the tower given its translucent treatment, leaving a space between the wooden sticks.

III. 35 OOPEA (2014). photography: Section model of Periscope Tower. III. 36 OOPEA (2014). photography: Interior stairs view of Periscope Tower.

Periscope Tower - Seinäjoki, FInland

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IMPORTANT REMARKS

* THE VARIOUS SMALL FRAMES OF THE LANDSCAPE INSIDE THE WATCHOWER * THE USE OF PURE GEOMETRY IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ORGANIC CONTEXT

III. 37 OOPEA (2014). photography: Entrance view of Periscope Tower. III. 38 Handmade drawing by the author.Secion and facade of Periscope Tower.