Collectif Etc Create a Lookout for an Eco-museum using Salvaged Wood

This project was commisioned by Ecomusée d’Alsace. It involved the creation of a timber belvedere (an open-sided rooftop gallery) that would look out over the agricultural lands surrounding the site.

The French architecture firm Collectif Etc were enlisted to design and oversee the construction of the timber structure. It was completed back in 2017.

The stilted structure occupies a space measuring just 107.64-square-feet (10-square-meters). It’s located in Ungersheim in France, and forms part of an agricultural museum.

The project has been dubbed “Obervedere”, and given the museums drive for conservation, it also sports a few eco features. The predominant construction material – wood – is obviously a renewable source, but parts of this project were built using timbers salvaged from a house in Oberhausbergen.

The result is a building made from a mix of old and new. The main support structure and framing are composed of old, rugged timbers, while other details, such as the openings and cladding, are made from new wood. The two come together to form a quiet place of contemplation, perfect for observing the flora and fauna.

From the architects: “Wood of the half-timbered were sorted, selected, and then worked again to constitute the volume perched on a structure made up by four trunks of locust trees coming from the site of the Ecomuseum…

As with our previous projects, the purpose also was to share the whole experience with people of the Ecomuseum and young volunteers. A beautiful team came to help us and to share these moments with us.”

For more unusual spaces check out Anders Berensson’s “House Box”, an idyllic spot for writing or sleeping. Or, Schemata Architects stereotypical capsule hotel from Japan. See all spaces.

Photos © Collectif etc