Overlooking the Sunwapta Valley along the Columbian Icefields in Alberta, Canada, the Discovery Walk has been designed as an extension of the landscape. It melds with the cliffs and protrudes outwards from the rugged mountainside with an ever-changing, bold geometric form. A viewing platform stretches far out over the valley to give views of the glaciers below, while adding a bit of a death-defying element to the design. Overall, the walk provides visitors with a shelter against the elements, that also serves to astound them with what surrounds them.
While we won’t argue with the dynamic design of the Discovery Walk, it does bring into question the use of building technology as a vehicle to experience nature. Is this design actually bringing individuals closer to the natural environment, or is it in fact creating another barrier?
+ Glacier Skywalk
+ Sturgess Architecture
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Experiencing nature is a pretty straightforward undertaking—it requires little if any technological intervention to take in all the grandeur the environment has to offer. But a hike into the depths of the forest is not what the architects at Sturgess
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Overlooking the Sunwapta Valley along the Columbian Icefields in Alberta, Canada, the Discovery Walk is designed as an extension of the landscape.
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Overall, the walk provides visitors with a shelter against the elements, that also serves to astound them with what surrounds them.
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The walkway offers magnificent views of the Alberta Rockies.
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Some may wonder whether this design is actually bringing individuals closer to the natural environment, or is it in fact creating another barrier.
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As you can see from this rendering, the Glacier Skywalk looks just as the designers intended it.
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The skywalk offers views that many wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise, unless they flew overhead in a plane or helicopter.
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How would you feel about looking down through this transparent walkway?
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Another rendering that shows how the walkway winds along the mountainside.
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While we won’t argue with the dynamic design of the Discovery Walk, it does bring into question the use of building technology as a vehicle to experience nature.
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Sure to be a challenge for those who suffer from vertigo, the Discovery Walk stretches far out to give views of the valley and glaciers below.
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One of the initial 3D renderings, showing a view from the skywalk from above.
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With views like this, the completed project may speaking greater volumes to the average tourist than the adventure seeker.
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