After walking along the 165-foot-long treetop path, visitors can use the spiral ramp to climb the tower. Once at the top, visitors can enjoy a unique view over the world cultural heritage site of Steigerwald.
Structure
The lookout tower has the shape of a truncated cone that opens outward as it increases in height. At the tower base, the outside diameter amounts to about 66 ft and at the top, to about 105 ft. The main supporting elements form 12 curved glulam timber trusses which are rotationally symmetrically arranged in an angular difference of 30°.
The outer spiral structure, made of timber, is fixed by steel cantilever beams to the timber supports. At a height of about 39 ft is a half-pace, which is supported on diagonal braces made of steel.
The viewing platform at the top consists of steel cantilever beams, protruding to the inside, and longitudinal glulam timber stringers lying in between, with planking.
The structure is stiffened by a circumferential web made of steel diagonals and ring structures.
Investor | Bayerische Staatsforsten AöR www.baysf.de |
Architect | Architectural office Josef Stöger stoeger-koelbl.de |
Planning, Structural Engineering, Construction | WIEHAG GmbH www.wiehag.com |
Structural Analysis of Foundations | Ing.-Büro Wolf GmbH D-94036 Passau, Germany |