mouton

location:
De Panne, sea wall (Westerpunt) and houtsaegerdunes (Vista)

designer:
studio MOTO

client:
Gemeentebestuur De Panne

status:
completed

The ground plan of the tower is a stretched pentagon composed of stair sections connected to each other at an angle of 108°. As a function of accessibility, the stair section connecting to the walkway has a lazy slope. The landings serve as resting, turning and viewing points.

The entire staircase structure cantilevers over the beach and the sea, which reaches the base of the tower at high tide. The variable transverse sections of the segments are tailored to the occurring force effects.

Under the embankment are foundation beams (in T-shape), which complete the ‘ring’ and connect it to three groups of piles.

The structure is made of pigmented concrete, in a shade that matches the sand. The formwork was done with planks. To ensure smooth on-site works, each reinforcement bar was drawn out in 3D and a meticulous step-by-step plan was drawn up for the wickerwork. A test node of the braiding of the most difficult node was also made by the contractor to test the execution principles. Since the foundation is below the water level at high tide, a watertight steel box was installed for its execution.
The special attention to detailing and well-considered concrete cover results in a durable tower subject to fairly aggressive maritime weather conditions.

The project is part of WinVorm, a platform for innovative interventions in public space, and is twofold. On the border of the Houtsaegerduinen, a little further along, a rest and information point will be expanded. Both designs are linked by their materialisation and design.