A stairway with 209 steps in the area between the internal and external walls leads to the tower top.
The structural analysis of the "sky climber" was created by Andreas Wirth from Freiburg, who used RFEM and the RF‑LAMINATE add‑on module.
Structure
The tower has a square base area with lateral lengths of 5.40 m (17.7 ft). The inner tower consists of cross‑laminated timber slabs with three layers of a thickness of 12 cm (4.7 in). The outer tower was built with CLT elements as well. These consist of seven layers and have a total thickness of 20 cm (7.8 in).
There are 123 openings arranged in the external walls. Thus, visitors can always enjoy the outdoor scenery. The structural components were precast to a great extent. The inner tower consists of two tubes. The outer tower was divided into three construction sections. Each section was subdivided into four L‑shaped corner elements.
The structural connection in the vertical joints is ensured by numerous fully threaded screws. These were screwed in crosswise through the vertical joints at an angle of 60° relative to the transverse slab direction. In the horizontal joints, the CLT elements are connected to each other by slotted sheets and dowels.
Once the Garden Show ends, the lookout tower will continue to be operated by an association. Thus, visitors will still have the possibility to enjoy the incomparable view over the landscape park of Wetzgau.
| Structural Engineering | Andreas Wirth, Freiburg, Germany ing-wh.de |
| Construction | Concept and Design KuKuK GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany www.zumkukuk.de Work Planning and Realization Schlosser Holzbau GmbH, Jagstzell, Germany www.schlosser-projekt.de |
| Investor | Himmelsstürmer, Landesgartenschau Schwäbisch Gmünd 2014 |
