BIRD LOOKOUT

ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE, CZECH REPUBLIC
IN PROGRESS

The country around Vrbenské rybníky (ponds) is specific for its rich fauna and flora. Overgrown wetlands, water sheets and ditches shelter rare bird species. The design of a bird lookout should, thus, enter this environment cautiously. Fit into the overgrown landscape and hide in it a little bit. Do not disturb and respect the lives of waterfowl. Get closer to their natural environment and let oneself observe and listen. A bird lookout is more a screened shooting stand than a watchtower. It is an archaic timber structure made from roughly worked logs, branches, and boards. It is more a landscape element than a structure. It is a nest inserted into tight trunks and tree branches.

We can get to the lookout on wooden bog bridges on stakes driven rammed into the ground. So, hikers will be able to walk dryshod in the wetland, hidden in high grasses. The bog bridge can be entered from the nearby parking lot. The bog bridge will take us to the lookout or to the banks of the Starý houženský rybník (pond) where it ends as a short jetty above the water.

The structure’s featuring shape is a tripod pyramid with a base of an equilateral triangle with one side 7.5 m long. The main loadbearing elements are rounded lumbers. The top node is 9.3 above the ground.  The basic tripod is strengthened with other timber elements along the perimeter that, at the same time, carry a three-flight staircase leading up to an observation platform. This platform rests below the pyramid’s peak, 5.7 m above the ground. It is roofed. The railing is braided from tree branches creating an inconspicuous hideout for birdwatching.

Category:

Science and education

Client:

South Bohemian Region

Status:

In progress

Location:

České Budějovice, Czech Republic