Marsk Tower / BIG

Curated by Paula Pintos

Text description provided by the architects. The 25-meter-high Marsk Tower – translated as “Marsh Tower” due to its location in the marshlands of Denmark’s popular National Park, Wadden Sea – offers expansive views of the natural environment. Appearing as a sculptural art object rising out of the landscape, Marsk Tower will function as an observation lookout that facilitates community as a key tourist landmark. A wheelchair-accessible tower, an elevator located in the core of the tower provides access via the ground level ramp. The tower’s simple design, defined by Corten steel materiality, exudes a natural aesthetic that blends with the surrounding environment while simultaneously becoming a new, visible destination in Denmark.

Marsk Tower / BIG - Interior Photography, Stairs, Handrail — © Rasmus Hjortshoj

“Because of the earth curvature, visitors will gradually expand their view of the horizon while walking to the top of the tower. On the foot of the tower, you will be able to see 4 km into the distance, but from the top of the tower the view is expanded to an 18 km view into the horizon,” says Jakob Lange, Architect and Partner, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group. “The stairs widen at the top of the tower, creating a 110 meter-squared lookout spot with views stretching to the city of Esbjerg, the Islands Rømø and Sylt, and beyond the Wadden Sea to the North Sea.”

BIG worked on the design for the observation tower as part of a local partnership with Marsk Camp Group to create an experiential destination that presents the unique landscape from a new perspective to tourists all over the world. Wadden Sea National Park is one of the last remaining large-scale intertidal ecosystems in the world and is widely known for its unique natural environment of sea, dune, woods, heaths, fauna, and wildlife.

“Marsk tower is a testament to our two-decades-long friendship and collaboration with the blacksmiths of Schacks Trapper,” says Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group. “The double helix provides two stairs and an elevator with a single stack of rotating steel steps, allowing visitors to ascend and descend in a single spiraling loop from the sand to the sky – connecting the marsh land to the Wadden Sea.”