Pyramidenkogel viewing tower, Keutschach - AT

The wooden viewing tower rises almost 100 m high into the sky. It was planned by the Klaura, Kaden + Partner architectural office from Klagenfurt, Austria, and the Lackner + Raml structural design office from Villach, Austria, and is built with 16 massive, elliptical wooden pillars winding their way up into the sky in a basket-design spiral shape. The tower consists of 10 regular levels with a height of 6.40 m each, topped by two open observation decks with a total height per deck of 3.20 m. The overall structure consists of 16 glued laminated timber posts, reinforced by 10 elliptical rings and 80 diagonal struts. Visitors can either climb the stairs or take the elevator up to a height of 60 metres, where they find the “Skybox” with its panorama windows providing shelter from the weather. The “Skybox” can also be used for temporary events. From the observation decks, visitors enjoy a 360-degree view. Those who love a little thrill can race down Europe’s longest slide, bringing visitors back down to the ground from a height of 50 meters.

Rubner Holzbau at Ober-Grafendorf produced roughly 500 m³ of glued laminated timber, 1,000 m² of cross-laminated timber, and 300 tons of steel (in cooperation with the Zeman company) for the tower, and delivered the construction elements to the construction site right on schedule and in a just-in-time fashion. Their own staff was responsible for assembly. The high level of prefabrication at Rubner Holzbau production allowed for quick execution and, consequentially, improved profitability.