Who is responsible for maintaining the quality of the place?

The viewing tower in Sauvabelin Park was conceived by the Union des Sociétés de Développement de Lausanne (USDL) and was built in 2003 in collaboration with the city. The tower is just a few minutes away from Lac de Sauvabelin, an artificial lake and popular recreation area on the outskirts of the city. The Association des Amis de la Tour de Sauvabelin and Lausanne’s Service des parcs et domaines maintain the tower and bring it to life with exhibitions on the ground floor.

Is the place safe for its users?

The tower is 35 metres high, which is roughly equivalent to a ten-storey building. There are 151 steps to climb to reach the viewing platform. Once at the top, the view is impressive. The steep staircase is protected by wooden bannisters along the outside, and a high balustrade surrounds the platform. In case of bad weather or high winds, access to the tower can be blocked by a turnstile. If you don’t like heights, the tower is best viewed from below.

Is the place distinguished by durable construction and little need for maintenance?

The timber used to build the tower came from the forests around Lausanne. Large trees had to be felled, as the massive wooden beams are twelve metres long at the base. The untreated coniferous wood is weather resistant, durable and can even be reused if the tower is dismantled. The shape of the tower is a spiral that tapers upwards. The beams fan out around a central metal rod to form a double-helix spiral staircase. The ascent is on one helix and the descent on the other, so there is no need to avoid others coming in the opposite direction. The tower is thoroughly inspected and repaired every few years.

Will the place remain attractive in the long term for living, working, leisure and/or tourism?

The artificial Lake Sauvabelin was created by the USDL in 1888. Since then, it has enjoyed great popularity among the city’s residents and tourists alike. Over the years, a guest house, a playground, barbecue areas, animal enclosures and, in 2003, the tower were added. The area around the lake, in a forest clearing on the outskirts of town, is both near and far from the city centre.

Is the place socially robust?

This is a meeting place for all kinds of people. The tower is open to everyone and free of charge. There are benches and a drinking fountain at the base of the tower, so even passers-by often enjoy a rest around the tower. Only those who are sure-footed choose to go to the top, as the climb to the viewing platform is steep and requires stamina.

Was the place thoroughly analysed prior to the intervention?

The siting of the tower was carefully analysed before construction, as the forest is a sensitive place. The tower stands on the hill of a disused water reservoir. The ground slab beneath the timber structure also forms the roof of the new pumping station for the city’s water supply. The tower was designed by the late EPFL professor Julius Natterer. He co-founded a postgraduate timber engineering and architecture programme at the university in the 1980s. With his students and his office, he spent a lifetime working on timber structures.

Is the place notable for its distinctiveness?

There is something fascinating about observation towers. People are drawn to them almost magically because they offer such spectacular views and a broad overview. Although the tower is just a few minutes’ walk from Lake Sauvabelin, it cannot be seen from there. It appears suddenly, rising up, only when you get close to it. It is elegantly and clearly designed. The spiral staircase is surrounded and supported by 24 columns. They are 30 metres long and inclined slightly inwards. At the top is the platform with its cantilevered roof.

Does the design of the place take the surroundings into account?

The tower is well integrated into the forest clearing. Its slender form, tapering upwards, looks like an abstract tree made by human hands and crowned by a roof at the very top. The material of the tower, which comes from the forest and has already acquired a patina, also helps to integrate the structure into its surroundings.