belvedere for koblenz bundesgartenschau by dethier architectures

belvedere for koblenz bundesgartenschau by dethier architectures image © dethier architectures

the riverside city of koblenz was host to the recent bundesgartenschau, a 185 day large-scale horticultural event that hosts about 3000 floral and garden-themed events. belgium-based dethier architectures winning entry for a open-sided gallery was built as part of the festival on the site of the ehrenbreitstein fortress, a UNESCO world heritage site which overlooks the confluence of the moselle and rhine rivers. the triangular belvedere is positioned on a plateau, optimal for stunning views of the city and greenery. the cantilevered form creates orthogonal elevated pathways, extending 15 meters out over the valley, and rises 10 meters above the ground. the material choice of warm douglas fir and ever-patinated cor-ten beams made for an opportunity for prefabricated parts and rapid construction. a marriage of architectural research and engineering resulted in a lightweight structure with dynamic circulation. the lateral trusses create a mosaic of the surrounding countryside and allow the structure to be relatively free-standing. nature becomes a foreground, while the architecture finds its resonance in the landscape. the scale allows the structure to be seen from afar, but remain graceful; its horizontality allows it to blend harmoniously into the valley’s landscape. the surrounding architecture was also important to the design in that the belvedere’s location and angular shapes reflect the nearby fortress foundations and garden paths.

approach to the open-sided gallery image © dethier architectures 

cantilever over the valley and the deutsches eck image © dethier architectures 

the structure in the context of the garden show image © dethier architectures

structural pilotis are made of cor-ten steel image © dethier architectures

the form is a hollow triangle image © dethier architectures

roof walkway image © dethier architectures

view of the moselle and rhine river confluence image © dethier architectures 

image © dethier architectures 

inside walkway image © dethier architectures

the festival attracts 3.6 million visitors image © dethier architectures

structural detail image © dethier architectures