Observation Tower Teichland

Daniel Slota

The observation tower is located in a recreation park about 100 kilometers southeast of Berlin in an area that is formed by open-cast mining. In the course of renaturation, lakes will be flooded in future and tourist attractions will be created. One of these attractions is the 57-meter high observation tower that stands at the shore of such a future lake. For this building project, the community of Teichland proclaimed a student competition with subsequent realization. The tower is built up by a vertical core of concrete with stairs inside and it is covered by an approximately 1,100 square meters of suspended membrane as a facade.

For the orientation in the park with its many attractions it was very important to build a landmark visible for a long way. Besides the look-out function, the tower houses a small museum in the basement. The stairway was meant to be protected from the elements and to allow a first view of the landscape through the membrane.

A basic creative element is the concave-convex skin of membrane that is defined by the two rings at the top and the bottom. The design owes its dynamic appearance above all to a completely continuous Teflon-coated fiber glass membrane. Soft curves and angular ridges flow seamlessly into one another and present a surface for a multifaceted play of light and shade to the sunlight arriving there. The PTFE-coated fiber glass membrane is fixed at the head as well as at the bottom. Three vertical, 47-meter high segments form the exterior shell. The substructure of the membrane is built by vertically embedded construction cables and socketed columns (braces). The architecture of the facade demands a vertically preloaded construction. As the wind load cannot be carried by the flat membrane itself, vertical steel cables are inserted into the membrane. The braces connect the steel cables with the concrete shank. The membrane is fixed to shaping metal profiles at the top and the bottom of the tower. The membrane area is divided into three parts that are tied positively by means of vertical splices.

The tower advanced to a cultural emblem and attraction that is known far above the borders of the region. Various events such as concerts and lectures take place there. The quality of the realization of the contribution of this student competition proves the professional way the planners handle non-standard situations.

Project details

Location: Teichland, Germany
Size: 1,100 sq.m
Fabrics: PTFE-coated fibre glass with TiO2 coating (PTFE-Glass EFB 600) Chukoh Chemical Industries Ltd.Taiyo Europe GmbH
Engineer: LEICHT Structural Engineering and Specialist Consulting GmbH
Design: Daniel Slota (idea, concept), LEICHT Structural Engineering and Specialist Consulting GmbH (Membrane)
Architect: AWB Architekten (and Daniel Slota)
Fabrication: Taiyo Europe GmbH
Project Manager: GRBV Ingenieure GmbH
Installation: Seilpartner GmbH