360° views: OOPEAA’s observation tower on the shores of a Finnish lake
![A giant wooden periscope](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8N9YEwBvBrZ2aX4PZLdC5E-415-80.jpg)
From crystal lakes to thick, green forests, Finland is not short of stunning landscapes and Helsinki-based architects OOPEAA have devised the perfect way to take it all in. Their 'Periscope' project near the city of Seinäjoki is the area’s newest observation tower.
Acting as a giant wooden periscope, the structure is strategically perched at a clearance by the man-made lake Kyrösjärvi, right at the edge of the water. A large mirror, carefully placed on the roof and angled so that it is visible from the ground, gives visitors an option: they can either climb up the five-level building to the seating area at the very top, where they can pause for breath, rest and enjoy the vistas; or they can opt to stay on the ground and simply look up to get a sense of the view from above.
The piece is almost made entirely out of wood – a material the architects at OOPEAA are much familiar with (the practice won the Finlandia Award last year for their Puukuokka housing project, the country’s tallest wooden apartment block). The 'Periscope'’s inner core is cross-laminated timber (CLT), while the external solid wood frame acts as the load-bearing structure. Made out of prefabricated elements, the structure also features cladding and staircases in larch and safety detailings in steel.
Large window openings and smaller slits in-between planks allow for a variety of views as the visitor travels up the winding staircase, around an inner core that is left clear to allow for views of the mirror from below.
There are big plans in action for the area’s future, with a large housing development envisioned around the lake – and this tower is the first step of a larger landscape design that will reshape the lakeshore, developed by OOPEAA for the Seinäjoki Housing Fair 2016.
The 'Periscope Tower' was realised in collaboration with SWECO Seinäjoki and constructed by the students of SEDU, a local vocational school for building and construction skills.
The structure incorporates a mirror to show views from above to people on the ground. Visitors can also climb up the stairs to the viewing platform at the top
Aptly named 'Periscope Tower', the project is almost entirely made out of wood
Created out of prefabricated timber elements, the structure also features cladding and staircases in larch and safety detailings in steel
Large window openings and smaller slits in-between planks allow for a variety of views as the visitor travels up the winding staircase
INFORMATION
For more information, visit OOPEAA’s website
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Feel at home at Auberge, Château La Coste's new inn for culture lovers
Auberge La Coste sits at the heart of the art-filled estate, minutes away from the joyful town of Aix-en-Provence
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
This Nova Lima apartment is a Brazilian family oasis with striking Minas Gerais views
A Nova Lima apartment designed by Jacobsen Arquitetura celebrates its long, natural Minas Gerais vistas
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
Skateboarding in swimming pools: the case of Alvar Aalto’s Villa Mairea
A family of shows at Aalto2 Museum Centre explores skateboarding in swimming pools through the case study of Alvar Aalto’s Villa Mairea in Finland
By Francesca Perry Published
-
Alvar Aalto's House of Culture in Helsinki is a modernist gem reborn
Modernist icon House of Culture by Alvar Aalto has been restored and brought to the 21st century by Finnish architecture studio JKMM and Design Agency Fyra for ASM Global Finland
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Architectural gardens around the world to soothe the soul
From small domestic gardens, to nature reserves, urban interventions and local parks, here are some of the finest green projects that place nature at their heart
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
2023 Obel Award celebrates Kate Orff’s ecosystem-driven designs
Scape and its founder Kate Orff have scooped the 2023 Obel Award, which celebrates the landscape studio’s Living Breakwaters project
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Aalto2 Museum Centre opens, fulfilling Alvar Aalto’s vision in Jyväskylä
The Aalto2 Museum Centre opens, connecting the Alvar Aalto Museum and the Museum of Central Finland in Jyväskylä, the legendary Finnish architect’s home town
By Naomi Moriyama Published
-
Help save the Church of The Three Crosses by Alvar Aalto in Imatra, Finland
The Church of The Three Crosses in Imatra, one of master modernist Alvar Aalto's works, is in danger; Tiina Laakkonen has set up a fundraiser to help save it
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Welcome to Chappe: Finland's 'pocket sized' house of art
Chappe, a new art house in southern Finland designed by JKMM, punches above its weight
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Nordic architecture explored in Share, a book about contemporary building
Discussions about Nordic architecture and contemporary practice meet in a new book by Artifice, Share: Conversations about Contemporary Architecture – The Nordic Countries
By Ellie Stathaki Published