wooden ‘mirador aula’ is suspended above protected forest in ecuador

a wooden lightweight observatory 

‘mirador aula’ takes shape as the first intervention of the master plan for the protected forest cerro blanco in ecuador. designed as an observatory, the wooden installation by al borde invites visitors to face the majesty of the forest letting landscape contemplation. aimed to appreciate its location, and context, the lightweight structure gives the feeling that it hovers over the slope. 

in an attempt to promote the collective experience of sitting in the front row, the structure acts as an open classroom for school groups that are the main visitors of this area. standing on the main axis, the guide or teacher can easily address the audience spread in the two lateral wings. all images courtesy of jag studio, maria veronica paszkiewicz and al borde

maintaining wood in its primitive state

in the design and construction of its mirador, the studio utilized pieces of wood in their primitive form. its dark hue comes from a vernacular japanese method of wood preserving where the surface layer is burned. this technique mineralizes and protects the surfaces from pests that could attack them.

a giant timber spider covered by canvas

designed as a prototype after several tests, the ‘viewpoint’ allowed the architects to understand the whole scope of the technology on which the following interventions would be based. taking form as a giant timber spider, the main axis sits on tall slender stilts topped by a white canvas. this sheet —suspended in the tensioned structure— is impregnated with a cementitious mortar.

the mortar was technically designed to obtain high initial strengths and fluidity for the projection and the necessary consistency to adhere it and additionally provide low permeability in the hardened state protecting the textile from weathering and UV degradation. the roof not only protects the wooden skeleton but also reduces the carbon footprint by 68% compared to a concrete tile roof.