Hasta La Ideas

Visitors to this lakeside concrete tower in the Netherlands can scale its walls, jog up to an observation deck on its roof, or sail a zip wire across the water from a balcony (+ slideshow).

Designed by Eindhoven studio Ateliereen Architecten, the Beldert Beach Adventure Tower is part of a outdoor activities park surrounding Beldert Lake in the centre of the Netherlands.

Colourful treads are set into the concrete on two sides of the structure, allowing climbers to scramble their way up the entire 19-metre height of the tower and arrive at a viewing platform on the roof.

Those less willing to climb can take the stairs, which wind up through the centre of the tower but burst through the walls in three places before ending up at the top.

“Functionality and visibility were the basic principles for this design,” said architect Bram Hurkens. “We choose a clear shape, which is formed by the stairs, going inside and outside of the structure.”

Bright yellow balustrades allow the staircase to stand out against the concrete, and match one of the three colours used for the climbing treads.

“This way the route up is marked and the building has a cheerful and sunny appearance,” added Hurkens.

The zip line is attached to a balcony 11 metres above the ground, while a kiosk is located at the base of the tower offering drinks and snacks.

The tower was constructed from 11 prefabricated concrete modules stacked on top of one another.

“The tower is designed in such way that the centre of gravity is always located above the footprint,” said the architect.

The Beldert Beach logo was imprinted into the concrete during the casting process.

Here’s a project description from Ateliereen Architecten:

Adventure tower in concrete at Beldert Beach

For our client in the Betuwe – Holland Evenementen Groep – Ateliereen designed an adventure tower at Beldert Beach, which is a recreational lake.

The tower can be used for climbing and other group activities and there is a small kiosk included in the building. There is a viewing platform at a height of nineteen meters, which offers a view over the water, the wide area and the Holland Evenementen Groep.

Functionality and visibility were the basic principles for this design. We choose a clear shape, which is formed by the stairs, going inside and outside of the structure. The stairs have a prominent, bright yellow colour. This way the route up is marked and the building has a cheerful and sunny appearance.

The tower is constructed in prefab concrete rings, a robust material with a high-quality finish. The function of the tower is recognisable because the coloured climbing routes contrast with the silver-like background. The project is an addition to the activities of the Holland Evenementen Groep and a new impulse for the beach.

The eleven prefabricated concrete rings all have unique dimensions. In the rings at the top, the logo of Beldert Beach is poured into the surface, so no flags are needed.

The rings are approximately 3 x 5 meters. The peculiarity of casting these rings is that only one mold is used, which had to be converted after each ring working from the biggest element to the smallest.

Moreover, the architectural concrete requires a high quality surface with little room for errors. The different sloping walls have been an extra challenge whilst pouring and stacking. The tower is designed in such way that the centre of gravity is always located above the footprint, also during the stacking of the rings.

The kiosk is built with prefabricated walls. By opening the yellow shutters guests are invited to buy a snack at the counter.

Completion: November 2013
Client: Holland Evenementen Groep, Zoelen
Architect: Ateliereen Architecten, Eindhoven
Building contractor: Van Arnhem Bouwgroep, Culemborg
Concrete manufacturer: Mombarg Beton B.V., Doetinchem
Copyright pictures: Ateliereen Architecten

The post Ateliereen Architecten’s concrete observation
tower features a climbing wall and zip line appeared first on Dezeen.

Japanese studio Tato Architects have converted a warehouse in Osaka into a house where residents can climb up the walls.

Designed for a couple who enjoy rock-climbing in their spare time, the two-storey house has a sloping wooden wall on the first floor with affixed treads for climbing practice.

A double-height living and dining room stretches across one half of the residence, where a ladder provides a shortcut up and down from the master bedroom.

During the renovation the architects also re-clad the building in galvanised steel and replaced a pair of large shutters with square glazing panels.

If you’re interested in rock-climbing walls, why not check some other stories we’ve featured about them here?

Photography is by Satoshi Shigeta.

Here’s the full project description from Tato Architects:

House in Izumi-Ohmiya, a project converting a warehouse into residence.

A warehouse was converted into a residential space for a young couple who like bouldering which is a kind of free climbing and a sport to climb rocks of two to four meters high without lifeline.

The inside walls are designed in several leaned parts for them to attach some instruments to practice bouldering. For changing the nature of the building we came up with additional walls minimizing the modification to the existing building. As the outside walls were of ACL and the resistance against heat and rain were anticipated, they are covered with corrugated galvalume steal plates with heat insulator attached on the back. Floor heating with heat condensing stuff is laid over the existing floor for maintaining air conditioning of the big volume space. We can use electricity cheaply during a period at night. The air conditioning system uses such electricity to heat the floor concrete with heaters buried therein. Sunlight through the fixed large window will additionally heat up the floor. Electric energy and sunlight stored in the floor concrete will be released from the surface throughout the day.

The existed shutter was removed and a big window is provided instead. Taking advantage of parking space in the front, the fence was furnished with corrugated plates of light transmitting milk-white for the eyes from the street to be taken off.

The design was made to be converted into a light, broad residential space for the young client who likes carpentry as well.

Project name: House in Izumi_ohimiya
Location of site: Osaka Japan
Site area: 162.15m2
Building area: 79.20m2
Total floor area: 118.41m2
Type of Construction: Steel
Program:house&atelier
Project by: Tato architects
Principal designer: Yo shimada