If you find hiking trails and walkways that stay on the ground a bit passé, or maybe if you just never outgrew your love of treehouses, then you may want to turn your attention to the forest of Gisselfeld Klosters Skove, about one hour south of Copenhagen in Denmark.
This preserved forest is about to be home to The Treetop Experience, a 600-meter treetop walkway that connects to a 45-meter-tall spiraling observation tower. The walkway and the observation tower, designed by EFFEKT, are one continuous ramp accessible by all regardless of physical condition. The walk will follow and cross a creek, lakes, and wetlands.
Rendering courtesy EFFEKT.
The 600-meter-long path is split into a higher and a lower walkway and passes through different varieties of forest while taking care to minimize any disturbance to the environment. The high walkway passes through the oldest parts of the forest and features a series of activities for different user groups to learn about and enjoy the forest. The low walkway and the tower are both located in the younger areas of the forest.
Among the features along the path will be an aviary containing different species of birds; a flat loop that allows visitors to walk around a tree crown and study the treetops up close; and the Amphi, a stepped seating pocket that allows walkers to take a rest or enjoy the forest view.
Rendering courtesy EFFEKT.
The tower is the culminating feature along the walkway. It takes on an hourglass shape with a thin waist and an enlarged base and crown. This shape makes the tower more stable, increases the observation deck area at the top, and allows for better contact to the forest canopy. The tower rotates 120 degrees, which allows the use of straight structural elements that result in a stiff, efficient, and visually striking structure.
The Treetop Experience will be a component of Camp Adventure, an existing adventure sports facility that includes treetop climbing and zip lines, and will begin at the Camp Adventure Farmhouse.
Rendering courtesy EFFEKT.
Rendering courtesy EFFEKT.
Image courtesy EFFEKT.
Rendering courtesy EFFEKT.
Related Stories
| May 9, 2013
10 high-efficiency plumbing fixtures
From a "no sweat" toilet to a deep-well lavatory, here's a round up of the latest high-efficiency plumbing fixtures.
| May 9, 2013
Post-tornado Greensburg, Kan., leads world in LEED-certified buildings per capita
Six years after a tornado virtually wiped out the town, Greensburg, Kan., is the world's leading community in LEED-certified buildings per capita.
| May 3, 2013
'LEED for all GSA buildings,' says GSA Green Building Advisory Committee
The Green Building Advisory Committee established by the General Services Administration, officially recommended to GSA that the LEED green building certification system be used for all GSA buildings as the best measure of building efficiency.
| Apr 25, 2013
Colorado State University, DLR Group team to study 12 high-performance schools
DLR Group and the Institute for the Built Environment at Colorado State University have collaborated on a research project to evaluate the effect of green school design on occupants and long-term building performance.
| Apr 24, 2013
North Carolina bill would ban green rating systems that put state lumber industry at disadvantage
North Carolina lawmakers have introduced state legislation that would restrict the use of national green building rating programs, including LEED, on public projects.
| Apr 22, 2013
Top 10 green building projects for 2013 [slideshow]
The AIA's Committee on the Environment selected its top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment.
| Apr 16, 2013
5 projects that profited from insulated metal panels
From an orchid-shaped visitor center to California’s largest public works project, each of these projects benefited from IMP technology.
| Apr 12, 2013
Nation's first 'food forest' planned in Seattle
Seattle's Beacon Food Forest project is transforming a seven-acre lot in the city’s Beacon Hill neighborhood into a self-sustaining, edible public park.
| Apr 10, 2013
23 things you need to know about charter schools
Charter schools are growing like Topsy. But don’t jump on board unless you know what you’re getting into.
