Kaiserwarte – The emperor´s dress

Description

Kaiserwarte is a 35 m high, wooden panoramic tower concept designed for the “Kühbergl”, a hillside area near Brunico in South Tyrol (Italy). The German term “Warte” means observation tower, while “Kaiser” refers to the emperor Franz Joseph I. The tower follows the concept of interweaving skins spiralling towards the sky: on the inside, just like a human body, a central “skeleton” with a radius of 75 to 45 cm works as the core spine of the tower, facilitating the structural stability.

Statement of the jury

This design is based on a simple principle involving an interesting interpretation of the concept of a lookout tower. The design aesthetic of the lookout station, which is made of wood up to its centre post, evokes a tree and thus blends harmoniously with nature.