spiraling observation tower by EFFEKT soars above the trees of a danish forest

copenhagen-based practice EFFEKT has completed its much-anticipated observation tower at ‘camp adventure’, denmark’s largest climbing park. photographed here by rasmus hjortshøj, the 45-meter-tall (148 feet) structure forms the centerpiece of a unique experience that aims to bring visitors closer to nature by offering a new perspective of the woodland below. ‘nature provides the real experience — we just made it more accessible and offered a series of new and alternate perspectives,’ says tue foged, partner at EFFEKT.

all images by rasmus hjortshøj — COAST

set in the historic gisselfeld klosters forest — a glacial woodland characterized by rolling hills, streams, and lakes — the experience at camp adventure features a 900 meter (half mile) elevated boardwalk that zigzags between the trees, culminating in the tower. the vertical structure itself comprises a 650-meter-long (2,133 feet) inner spiraling ramp, which offers panoramic views across the surrounding landscape.

‘the tower is shaped to enhance the experience of the visitor, shunning the typical cylindrical shape in favor of a curved profile with a slender waist and enlarged base and crown,’ continues EFFEKT’s tue foged. ‘this allows for better contact to the forest canopy moving up through the tower.’ in order to blend in with its natural setting, the tower was constructed from weathered steel and locally-sourced oak.

in the same vein, the idea behind the elevated boardwalk leading to the tower is to make the forest accessible to everyone without disrupting the natural environment — home to a wide variety of species. meanwhile, the spiraling ramp to the observation deck becomes a sculptural element that makes the journey to the top a unique experience of shifting intimacy while offering step-free access to all visitors.

the tower’s top platform is 140 meters (459 feet) above sea level and, in clear weather, offers unobstructed views of 50 kilometers (31 miles) to copenhagen and malmo in the north and the rugged southern zealand manor landscape to the south and east. both the forest tower and boardwalk opened to the public on march 31, 2019 and received more than 2,500 visitors on their first day.

‘it is a great day for camp adventure,’ said kasper larsen, business developer at camp adventure, at the opening. ‘it has been a long challenging process from the original inception of the idea, to where we are today. but we are proud to say the result has by far overcome our expectations. we are thrilled to offer this truly unique experience on our grounds and we look forward to sharing this experience with our future visitors.’ see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

UPDATE: this project has been shortlisted in the ‘landscape – rural projects’ category and for the ‘best use of certified timber prize’ at the 2019 world architecture festival.

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project info:

project: camp adventure – the treetop experience
program: treetop walk and observation tower
client: camp adventure
architect: EFFEKT
structural engineer: arup
contractor: levi jensen A/S
area: 600 meter treetop walk, 45 meter observation tower
location: haslev, denmark
status: complete, opened in 2019
photography: rasmus hjortshøj — COAST