On the edge of De Flaes, the quiet fen in the middle of De Utrecht Estate, a watchtower is being erected that offers visitors a spectacular view of the surrounding nature reserve. During the design phase, the idea grew not to build a traditional tower, but a light, flowing structure based on a hyperbolic paraboloid – the hypar.

The maximum height was determined not by ambition but by nature itself: as tall as the trees growing on the estate. By combining these trunks as load-bearing elements with slender steel columns, an open, almost floating structure was created. A rhythm of gentle stairs and generous landings leads visitors comfortably to the viewing platform, twenty meters above ground level. During the climb, the spatial tension becomes palpable: the tower opens up and leads you further and further out, as if you were approaching a treetop yourself.