Lookout Tower with Treetop Walkway in Avondale Forest, Ireland

The new attraction is also intended to set an example for sustainability and inclusiveness. WIEHAG GmbH from Altheim, Austria, a long-time Dlubal customer, was responsible for the structural analysis of the tower. Structural calculations were performed in RSTAB.

Tree Tower Structure

The tower, with a height of about 38 m (125 ft), has the shape of a twelve-sided cylinder that opens upwards, intended to look like a glass of Guinness. Its diameter is approx. 23.6 m (77 ft) at the ground and 30.4 m (100 ft) at the tower top. The primary structural system consists of 12 glued-laminated columns, which are set up in a rotationally symmetrical manner at an angle difference of 30° each, thus forming a polygonal spatial structure. The columns are supported by means of steel columns on single foundations. The tree tower is stabilized by a close-meshed net of diagonal steel members as well as horizontally running ring structures. The construction consists of local Douglas fir and larch wood, which also makes the tower climate-friendly.

Connected to the lookout tower is a walkway with a length of 1,440 m (1,575 yards), winding through the treetops at a height of up to 23 m (75 ft). A viewing platform at the tower top can be reached via a spiral ramp, which never exceeds a slope of 6%, in order to guarantee continuous accessibility. The platform consists of outwardly projecting steel cantilevers that connect to the timber columns, and of longitudinal timber beams with planking that lie between said cantilevers. In addition, the tower has a 90 m (295 ft) long slide that visitors can use to return to the entrance from a height of 34 m (111 ft).