A viewing tower proposed for Westonbirt Arboretum. Three stacked hyperboloid structures in green oak and steel turn toward specific vistas across the landscape.
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Reference
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The hyperboloid is a structural principle, not a formal preference.
Vladimir Shukhov developed the hyperboloid structure in the late nineteenth century. Its defining property is the generation of a doubly curved surface from straight members. The geometry is efficient because its twist gives the structure lateral stability. Westonbirt required a viewing experience that revealed the arboretum without dominating it. The hyperboloid answered both the structural and site questions.
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System
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Three structures. Three orientations. Three views.
The tower is composed of three hyperboloids stacked asymmetrically around a concrete core. Each level turns toward a different point of interest in the arboretum. Green oak struts form the lattice and are pinned to steel ring trusses that carry the platforms. Two spiral stairs and a low-energy lift sit within the core. Screw pile foundations minimise disturbance to tree roots.
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Resolution
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The tower turns because the landscape changes.
The geometry provides stability. The material belongs to the woodland setting. The stacked orientation gives each platform a specific relationship to the arboretum. If built, the tower would not stand apart from the trees. It would give visitors a way to read them from above.
Project designed by Steven Chilton as project director at Marks Barfield Architects.
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