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

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tower features a climbing wall and zip line appeared first on Dezeen.

Zaha Hadid has revealed images of her addition to the Messner Mountain Museum, a string of buildings dotted through the Dolomites of northern Italy.

For the sixth and final Messner Mountain Museum building, Zaha Hadid Architects has designed a softly curved building that will tunnel right through the peak of Mount Kronplatz, which forms part of the Kronplatz ski resort.

Like the five other museum buildings, the structure will house exhibitions exploring mountainous regions around the world. A pointed glass canopy will mark the entrance to the building, while a viewing platform will extend from the rockface on the opposite side.

“A composition of fluid, interconnected volumes, the 1000 square-metre MMM Corones design is carved within the mountain and informed by the geology and topography of its context,” says the studio.

Construction is already underway and the museum is set to open in 2014.

The Messner Mountain Museum also includes a building in a converted castle, completed by Italian studio EM2 in 2011.

Zaha Hadid Architects has several buildings nearing completion at the moment, including a university block in Hong Kong and an undulating cultural centre in Azerbaijan. See more architecture by Zaha Hadid »

Here’s a project description from Zaha Hadid Architects:

Zaha Hadid Architects will design the sixth and final Messner Mountain Museum at Plan de Corones, South Tyrol, Italy. In collaboration with Reinhold Messner, one of the world’s most renowned mountaineers, as well as Kronplatz, the largest ski resort in the region, the Messner Mountain Museum (MMM Corones) is embedded within Mount Kronplatz.

“Located at the top of Mount Kronplatz with its unique views of the Dolomites, MMM Corones is the final piece in my series of mountain museums. Dedicated to the great rock faces of the world, the museum will focus on the discipline of mountaineering,” explains Reinhold Messner.

Inaugurated in 2003, the Concordia 2000 Peace Bell was the first step in combining cultural facilities with the sporting and recreational amenities at Mount Kronplatz. The MMM Corones adds a further cultural and educational element to this popular Alpine destination.

A composition of fluid, interconnected volumes, the 1000 sq. m. MMM Corones design is carved within the mountain and informed by the geology and topography of its context. A sharp glass canopy, like a fragment of glacial ice, rises from the rock to mark and protect the museum’s entrance.

Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
Design: Zaha Hadid, Patrik Schumacher
Project Architect: Cornelius Schlotthauer
Design Team: Cornelius Schlotthauer Peter Irmscher
Execution Team: Peter Irmscher Markus Planteu Claudia Wulf
Structural Engineer: IPM
Mechanical Engineer + Fire Protection: Jud & Partner
Electrical Engineer: Studio GM

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by Zaha Hadid Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

This concrete staircase into the air by Lisbon architecture studio Ateliermob functions as a riverside amphitheatre on the banks of the Tagus in central Portugal (+ slideshow).

Positioned on the northern shore of the river near the village of Rio de Moinhos, the structure is built on the site of an old fishing boat dock that had fallen out of use due to regular flooding.

Ateliermob‘s brief was to create a public installation on the site. To withstand the changing water levels, the intervention needed a solid structure that would resist decay even if submerged for a few days a year.

The chunky concrete bleachers rise up in a northerly direction, facing a stage that cantilevers out across the riverbank. A telescope is mounted at the very top, while rectangular concrete benches and tables provide a picnic area on one side.

“The new element wipes out the boundary between land and water, projecting itself on the river, and on a flat terrain it erupts in the air as a reference in the landscape,” say the architects.

The Rio de Moinhos Open-Air Theatre is the latest in a series of riverside installations designed by Ateliermob for the banks of the Tagus since 2007.

Other amphitheatres on Dezeen include a summer theatre in Estonia and a stage set in Sicily designed by OMA.

Photography is by Zoraima de Figueiredo.

Read on for more details from Ateliermob:

Rio de Moinhos Open Air Theatre

Following an international competition for the banks of the Tagus River in four counties in central Portugal where ateliermob got the first prize, they were asked to design three projects in the municipality of Abrantes.

Located on the right bank of the Tagus River, near the village of Rio de Moinhos, the Cais das Barcas served as a fishing boat dock and transported people and goods between the two banks. Over the years, that space lost its essence, both due to the nearly non-existent maintenance as the constant flooding of the Tagus (the height of the pier is +18.00 m, and the 1979 flood overflowed the river, which rose to 31.00 m).

Following a study of the dynamics of the local population, which can be characterised as having intense activity in recreational and popular associations, and it was understood that an outdoor space that could serve as an informal area for groups and communities and that could withstand submersion for a few days of the year. The new element wipes out the boundary between land and water, projecting itself on the river, and on a flat terrain it erupts in the air as a reference in the landscape.

The project seeks to recreate a place that spring-starts from the renovation of the pier, adding new collective reference meanings and uses. A new space for the local people that acts as a gathering place for the community or as an idyllic meeting place. The entire area around the auditorium, parallel to the existing dock, is redrawn maintaining its natural character, yet providing it with urban furniture – benches and tables for a more effective use by the population. Rio de Moinhos has experienced a difficult relationship with the river, noticeable its urban morphology – from times of flooding to times of drought. Every year, during the rainy season, this structure may become partially submerse.

The proposed structure seeks to reclassify the area, creating a new meeting space for the local community. When no events are taking place, this amphitheatre will be ideal to contemplate the river, the landscape and from its highest point, Rio de Moinhos.

Project: Rio de Moinhos Open Air Theatre
Place: Rio de Moinhos, Abrantes, Portugal
Promoter: Câmara Municipal de Abrantes (city council)
Construction: Construforte – Sociedade de construções e Empreitadas, Lda
Architecture: ateliermob – Andreia Salavessa and Tiago Mota Saraiva with Vera João, João Torres, Ana Luísa Cunha, Zofia Józefowicz and Sophia Walk (competition: Carolina Condeço, Nuno Ferreira)
Structures: Betar Estudos – José Pedro Venâncio and Maria do Carmo Vieira
Lights: João Pedro Osório

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by Ateliermob appeared first on Dezeen.

Danish studio BIG has designed an observation tower shaped like a honey dipper for Phoenix, Arizona.

Rising above the downtown city rooftops, the spiralling structure is conceived as a tourist attraction that will contain a continuous series of exhibition spaces, shops and restaurants.

BIG has nicknamed the structure “The Pin” and the designs show a reinforced concrete tower with three glass elevators to transport visitors from the base of a narrow stalk to the summit of the sphere.

Just like the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the ArcelorMittal Orbit at London’s Olympic Park, visitors will be encouraged to take an elevator to the top then gradually work their way down whilst looking out across the city and nearby mountains.

“Like the monsoons, the haboobs and the mountains of the surrounding Arizonian landscape, the Pin becomes a point of reference and a mechanism to set the landscape in motion through the movement of the spectator,” commented BIG founder Bjarke Ingels. “The motion at the Pin is turned inside-out, allowing visitors to contemplate the surrounding city and landscape of Phoenix.”

To create the spherical shape, the spiralling open-air pathway will be widest at its centre and will taper away at the start and end of the route.

“Like a heavenly body hovering above the city the Pin will allow visitors to descend from pole to pole in a dynamic three dimensional experience seemingly suspended in midair,” said Ingels.

Restaurants will be located at the base of the sphere, while a new public square surrounded by shops will be positioned at the ground-level entrance.

In the last week BIG also unveiled plans for two twisted apartment blocks in Miami.

See all our stories about BIG »

Here’s some more information from the architects:

BIG unveils Phoenix Observation Tower

BIG is commissioned by Novawest to design a 420 ft tall mixed-use observation tower to serve as a symbol for the city of Phoenix, Arizona.

Located in downtown Phoenix, the 70,000 sf Observation Tower shall add a significant structure to the Phoenix skyline from which to enjoy the city’s spectacular views of the surrounding mountain ranges and dramatic sunsets. Phoenix-based developer Novawest, commissioned the team to create a destination event to provide tourists and citizens of Phoenix alike the chance to enjoy the unique features of the Valley of the Sun.

Above: simple concept diagram

The future observation tower is conceived as a tall core of reinforced concrete with an open-air spiral sphere at its top, resembling a metaphorical pin firmly marking a location on a map. The spiraling sphere contains flexible exhibition, retail and recreational spaces which are accessed via three glass elevators that connect the base with the summit and offer panoramic views of the city and the tower’s programs as visitors ascend or descend.

Walking downwards from the top through a continuous spiral promenade, the visitors of the observation tower experience all of the building’s programs in a constant motion, while enjoying dynamic 360 degree views of the city of Phoenix and the Arizonian landscape.

Above: design concept

The spiral layout combines the different programmatic elements and the circulation into a continuous dynamic twirling space which is proportioned according to the movement of the visitors, producing a unique viewing experience of the surroundings. Instead of a constant width, the spiraling promenade starts from zero at the point of arrival, reaches its maximum width at the middle, and shrinks back to zero at the point of departure. Separation between the programmatic elements within the sphere happens not through physical vertical barrier-walls, but softly through the slope and the height difference to preserve a total continuity and create a flexible space for exhibitions and events.

Once the visitors reach the middle of the sphere, they can choose to either conclude their journey by taking the elevator back to the ground, or continue to the restaurant levels at the lower hemisphere. The motion resembles a journey through the center of a planet, and a travel from the north to the south pole.

The base of the tower will serve as a public plaza offering shade, water features and a small amount of retail together with a subterranean queuing area. The tower will serve as a working model of sustainable energy practices, incorporating a blend of solar and other technologies.

Above: accommodation diagram

Name: Phoenix Observation Tower
Type: Commission
Size: 70,000 square feet
Client: Novawest
Collaborators: MKA (structure), Atelier10 (sustainability), Gensler (local architect), TenEyck (landscape)
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Country: USA

Partner in Charge: Bjarke Ingels and Thomas Christoffersen
Project Leader: Iannis Kandyliaris
Team: Thomas Fagan, Aaron Hales, Ola Hariri, Dennis Harvey, Beat Schenk

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by BIG appeared first on Dezeen.

Zig-zagging pathways lead to viewing platforms perched high in the Norwegian mountains in this visitor facility designed by Reiulf Ramstad Architects (+ slideshow).

An angled concrete block at the entrance to the site contains waterside restaurant and gallery, while Corten steel pavilions are set in the ground alongside.

From here a footpath crosses the mountain river and leads to the lookout points, which are made of concrete, steel and glass.

The facility, which opened last month, is one of five architectural projects along the Geiranger-Trollstigen tourist route, a 66-mile scenic road across the Trollstigen Mountain Plateau in western Norway.

Trollstigen – or “troll’s ladder” – is regarded as one of Norway’s most spectacularly beautiful areas and the tourist route across it is one of the country’s most popular attractions.

At the foot of the wall is a jagged glass restaurant, which Reiulf Ramstad Architects completed last summer.

See also our recent story about the architects’ beachside walkway on the Havøysund trail, which is another of the 18 national tourist routes in Norway.

Stops on some of the other tourist routes that we’ve written about include public toilets in a rusty steel cabin and a memorial commemorating suspected witches.

See all our stories about the Norwegian National Tourist Routes »

Photography is by the architects.

Here’s some text from Reiulf Ramstad Architects:

Trollstigen National Tourist Route Project

Located on Norway’s west coast, Trollstigen is perched within a dramatic pass between the deep fjords that characterize the region.

This panoramic site can only be visited and constructed in summer, due to severe winter weather.

Despite—or perhaps because of—the inaccessible nature of the site, the project entails designing an entire visitor environment ranging from a mountain lodge with restaurant and gallery to flood barriers, water cascades, bridges, and paths to outdoor furniture and pavilions and platforms meant for viewing the scenery.

All of these elements are molded into the landscape so that the visitor’s experience of place seems even more intimate.

The architectural intervention is respectfully delicate, and was conceived as a thin thread that guides visitors from one stunning overlook to another.

The RRA project will enhance the experience of the Trollstigen plateau’s location and nature.

Thoughtfulness regarding features and materials will underscore the site’s temper and character, and well-adapted, functional facilities will augment the visitor’s experience.

The architecture is to be characterised by clear and precise transitions between planned zones and the natural landscape.

Through the notion of water as a dynamic element – from snow, to running and then falling water- and rock as a static element, the project creates a series of prepositional relations that describe and magnify the unique spatiality of the site.

Location: Romsdalen – Geiranger Fjord, Norway
Program: National tourist routes project
Client: The Norwegian public roads administration
Commision type: Invited Competition 1st prize in cooperation with Multiconsult 13.3 landscaping (2004)

Architects: Reiulf Ramstad Architects, Oslo Norway (RRA)
Reiulf Ramstad, Christian Skram Fuglset, Espen Surnevik, Anja Strandskogen, Nok Nimakorn,
Atle Leira, (Christian Dahle, Lasse Halvorsen, Helge Lunder, Karen Selmer, Tia Ginard Adover)

Civil Engineer: Structural Engineer: Dr Techn. Kristoffer Apeland AS, Oslo Norway
Design year: 2004-2011
Construction year: 2005-2012/ Official Opening 2012

Building area: 800 m2 (Mountain Lodge with restaurant and gallery), 950 m2 (Flood Barrier House)
Site: Building Site 600,000 m2
Time to build: 6 years
Type of construction: Corten steel and poured-in-place concrete

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by Reiulf Ramstad Architects appeared first on Dezeen.