User:Haringa11/Bergwelt Karwendel Nature Information Center

Introduction
The Bergwelt Karwendel Nature Information Center in Mittenwald Germany is a beautiful and exciting structure that follows the form of a gigantic telescope overlooking the Karwendel mountain range and valley that surrounds it. This cantilever structure exemplifies excellent use of materials while still upholding the values of society, science, and symbolism in an extraordinarily elegent manner.

Structural Description
The Nature Information Center Bergwelt Karwendel is Germany's highest environmental exhibit at 2244 meters above sea level, and 1300 feet above the forest below. Besides providing unprecedented views, the structure's other purpose is to house an exhibition about the local alpine ecosystem that surrounds it. It is constructed from a concrete pipe wrapped in wooden larch planks harvested locally. The pipe is 34 meters long and 8 meters wide, while binding the two sections of the telescope together from the top is a metal bar providing the structure with adequate stiffness and strength in tension. The cantilever rests upon a concrete foundation that allows the structure to appear as if it is floating above the ground and atop the mountain. The loads acting on the structure put the cantilever in bending with the bottom of the tube in compression and the top metal bar in tension. The load path goes to the ground through the bending forces and into the foundation. Within the tube structure, the floor rests upon a truss that runs the length of the telescope and is visible through the windows that overlook the valley. The structure was completed on July 23, 2008 after 14 months of construction.

Qualifications as Structural Art
The form of this 'telescope' structure is very simple yet highly aesthetic and elegant. It provides an interesting symbolism, and puts one within the telescope looking out through the large circular windows. The telescope form is highly intriguing and draws the eye from near and far while visitors ride the float up to the top of mountain. The windows are highly reflective of the surroundings from the outside lending to the telescope form while the wood not only accents the rocky course mountaintop but also lends to the form. The social interactivity of the structure permits learning and appreciation for the landscape and ecosystem as a whole. Within the telescope there are viewing areas for movies about the mountain's wildlife and history as well as other exhibitions promoting visitors to support the conservation of the area as well as learn about its uniquities. The Nature Information Center is also often a launch point for hikers to trek through many beautiful trails adjacent to the telescope. The symbol of this structure is not only created by the form itself, but also the use for which it was designed. The telescope is a place for learning as well as viewing of the environment surrounding it, much as a telescope may be used in a tradition manner. It is undoubtedly an emblem to the park of the Karwendel mountains, and a focal point for visitors to journey to. The elegance of the form attracts from a distance and suits the mountaintop well, not drawing away from its beauty and majesty, but accenting it with its simplicity and floating appearance. The Nature Information Center Bergwelt Karwendel creates a unique experience for the visitor, providing education and an astonishing view of the vista enveloping it. It is an attractive symbol for the Karwendel mountains due to its elegance and simplistic architecture. The structure of the telescope lends itself beautifully to scientific cantilever design, while the combination of symbolism and education towards the conservation of the natural environment make what the structure is to society.