Bee Breeders Architecture Competitions has announced winners for the Kemeri National Park Observation Tower architecture competition, tasked participants with delivering proposals for a buildable observation structure along the park’s boardwalk system.Key factors to consider were wheelchair accessibility, durability, ease of construction, and a proposed budget of US $50k. 

The entries proposed a wide range of ideas, with a variety of structural materials and forms, with modularity as an integral factor in many submissions.

The winning project - Funambulist Landscape - by Ernesto Urquízar Quesada and María Cervantes Lardón from Spain, impressed the jury with its three-storey design of light-structured ramps hung within a clean timber grid. The project’s simple structure makes it easily adaptable and scalable, with beautifully-executed drawings submitted to show a clean design intent.

Second prize was awarded to Nathira Haja from Malaysia. The “Eye Tower” project features a spherical timber structure that encloses a lengthy spiraling ramp, elevating visitors well above the bog boardwalk, and was considered by the jury as the most formally striking submission presented in this competition.

Hunor Albert Szántó and Fanni Zita Salamin from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Hungary received third prize as well as the BB Student Award for their “Black Box” project. Simple 2.8m-wide x 1.5m-long grid comprised of wooden structural members and clad in a shell of burned-wood planks which the jury found to be buildable and well-suited for its location.

The jury also selected winner for the “Accessible Tower Award” - The Dark Hut - by Angelo Ancarola, Antonio Mastria, Salvatore Possidente Del Monte, and Luigi Simone from Italy.

See the winning projects below with short jury comments:

1st prize: Funambulist Landscape by Ernesto Urquízar Quesada and María Cervantes Lardón from Spain

Jury comments:

"The jury was impressed by the “funambulist landscape”, the title of this proposal. Three stories of light-structured ramps are hung within a clean timber grid. A visitor walking up into this structure would experience a “new sequence of relationships” among the landscape, flora, and fauna. The result is a well-designed project that is integrated within the bog boardwalk. Its components could easily be prefabricated offsite. Given the scale of the structure, the jury wonders if the project as shown could be constructed without the use of heavy equipment and suggests the exterior framework be segmented into smaller timber elements. The project’s simple structure makes it easily adaptable and scalable. The submission drawings are beautifully executed and clear in their design intent."

Read interview with the 1st prize winners

2nd prize: Eye Tower by Nathira Haja from Malaysia

Jury comments:

"The most formally striking submission presented in this competition, the ‘eye tower’ features a spherical timber structure that encloses a lengthy spiraling ramp, elevating visitors well above the bog boardwalk. The large vertical members of the frame are completed at the apex with a series of smaller timber elements that act as a type of brise soleil, and help to give the structure a refined shape. The jury believes that, while the submission is likely not achievable on a budget of $50k, it could perhaps be scaled down for feasibility. Additionally, the base foundation for such a structure would likely be significantly larger, bringing to question whether the project could be constructed without damaging the bog ecosystem? The jury commends the designer for providing such a bold gesture that would certainly become a landmark within the park."

Read interview with the 2nd prize winners

3rd prize+BB Student Award: Black Box by Hunor Albert Szántó and Fanni Zita Salamin from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Hungary

Jury comments: 

"The project is characterized by a simple 2.8m-wide x 1.5m-long grid comprised of wooden structural members and clad in a shell of burned-wood planks. The long-bar form of of the observation platform is integrated as part of the bog’s boardwalk. The submission includes a series of sectional images that describe a variation of viewing experiences defined by changing patterns of perforations in the shell’s walls and ceiling. It compares the viewing experience to a moving filmstrip, and describes the platform as a black box defined as a “device, process or system whose inputs and outputs are known, but whose internal structure or working is not well, or at all understood because of it’s confidential nature.” The jury found this submission to be buildable and well-suited for its location."

Read interview with the 3rd prize+BB Student Award winners

Accessible Tower Award: The Dark Hut by Angelo Ancarola, Antonio Mastria, Salvatore Possidente Del Monte, and Luigi Simone from Italy.

Read interview with the Accessible Tower Award winners

All images courtesy of Bee Breeders Architecture Competitions

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