An experimental wooden architecture to observe nature

The result of research conducted by students and researchers of the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia's (IAAC) Master's in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities, this small artifact fits within the largest forest in the mountain area embracing Barcelona. Named Flora, an acronym for “Forest Lab for Observational Research and Analysis” the architecture stems from an in-depth study of local biodiversity and the possibility of using local, zero-kilometer materials. The observation tower is almost entirely constructed using CLT, cross-laminated timber, from local trees cut for periodic forest maintenance and then processed on site.

The project thus consists of a cabin suspended on four wooden pillars, set back from a slope and connected via a suspended walkway that wraps around the site itself. This allows the observation tower to fit into the forest while rising lightly.
Covered by cork panels to mark a distinction from the supporting structure, the cabin is then wrapped in a white net, handwoven and digitally generated, which determines a virtual space between the architecture and the forest. Over time, this additional surface is expected to become a foothold for the growth of more vegetation, increasing the camouflage of the work.

The project is designed to accommodate a researcher for a short period to study local biodiversity and the effects of climate crisis on the area: at the same time a cabin in the forest, a birdwatch tower, and a small shelter for study, Flora declares itself as an ecological prototype, intertwining its function, materiality, and essence with nature.