Netherlands. RO&AD designed a watchtower on the ruins of a fort

The project designed by the dutch office RO&AD includes a watchtower, an open-air theatre and an touristic info-point. The Pompejus watchtower stands on the de Roovere fort in the area of Halsteren, in the West Brabant region. Since 2010 the area is undergoing a landscape redevelopment for recreational and touristic purposes.

A crowdfunding campaign – involving private individuals and companies of the area – funded the intervention, while the construction was supported by volunteers and interns provided by local schools and organizations. The tower is 25 meters high and stands directly on the fort, which is 9 meters above the normal quote of the surrounding landscape. The structure is a wood and steel hybrid which concept was developed through a tridimensional model. The parts produced by the steel manufacturer and the carpentry factory were then assembled on site. The composition of the facades derives from a mathematical principle named Voronoi diagram.