Article source: Wingårdh Arkitektkontor

All the way out where the forest ends and the reeds begin, a visitor center hovers low on piles set carefully into the water’s edge. The building is clad in thatch, camouflaged like a birdwatcher’s blind, hiding its contents from the natural world that surrounds it. This is quiet architecture, using traditional local materials to break new ground with its crystalline geometry. Steep roofs transition seamlessly into walls. The steep pitch gives them longevity. The ridge, where a thatched roof is most vulnerable, is transformed into a glazed skylight.

Image Courtesy Åke E:son Lindman

• Architects: Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB
• Project: Tåkern Visitor Centre
• Location: Lake Tåkern, Glänås, Sweden
• Architects: Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB trough Gert Wingårdh, Jonas Edblad. Team: Ingrid Gunnarsson, Aron Davidsson, Jannika Wirstad and Peter Öhman.
• Plan: Ödeshög municipality
• Client: County of Östergötland
• Contract form: General contractor
• Contractor:
  
  • Bird watching tower: Håkan Ström AB
  • Buildings: Skanska Östergötland
• Gross area: circa 750 sqm
• Year of construction:
• Bird watching tower: 2008- 2009.
• Buildings: 2010-2012
• Photography: Åke E:son Lindman, Tord-Rickard Söderström and Christian Badenfelt
• Main building: 680m²

(more…)