A zigzagging path tops the demountable Pilen viewpoint in Denmark, created by engineering firm Arup to give the public views of the construction of the vast Fehmarnbelt Tunnel.
Fehmarnbelt Tunnel is an 18-kilometre-long road-and-rail tunnel being built underwater between Rødbyhavn in Denmark and Puttgarden in Germany to improve links between continental Europe and Scandinavia.
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Pilen, whose name means "the arrow" in Danish, offers views of its construction site to help the public gain an understanding of its scale.
According to Arup, its design is intended to symbolise travel, evoking an arrow or compass needle, and it points to the site where the tunnel emerges in Germany to orient users.
The ramped structure measures 217 metres in length, reflecting the size of each of the 89 individual concrete elements that will form the tunnel, which will be the longest of its kind.
"The arrow-shaped design points towards the location where the Fehmarnbelt tunnel emerges on the German side, acting as a large compass needle for visitors," project architect Kristian Winther told Dezeen.
"At 217 metres long, the viewpoint also reflects the length of one of the tunnel elements," Winther continued.
"We hope the viewpoint will create a closer connection between the tunnel project, the local community, and visitors, giving people an opportunity to experience the scale of the project more directly."
Pilen was designed for contractors Femern, which is overseeing the tunnel's construction and wanted to open up the construction site to the public.
The site was chosen for its proximity to the tunnel portal, maximising views of construction work, but also for the expansive views of the coastal landscape beyond.
Pilen's structure is built from landfill timber and steel and designed to be demounted once the tunnel is complete.
To facilitate this, all the components, including the foundations, are engineered to be easily reused in other projects, "helping to give the materials a life beyond the viewpoint itself", Winther said.
The main deck is formed from timber and landscaped with greenery and local vegetation, through which a fully accessible landscaped walkway zigzags as it rises 24 metres above sea level.
Fehmarnbelt tunnel is scheduled for completion in 2029. It is expected to reduce journey times between Hamburg and Copenhagen to 2.5 hours by train.
We recently reported on a 300,000 square metres land reclamation scheme in Denmark created as part of the project, which will be landscaped with ponds and planting.
Other viewpoints recently featured on Dezeen include the Titlis Tower in the Swiss Alps by Herzog & de Meuron and Lech Mountain Mirror in the Austrian Alps by Snøhetta.
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