THE SLEEPING SENTRY - ‘OBSERVATION TOWER’
Billy Robinson
Swinburne University of Technology
The Cape Otway proposal reimagines the visitor centre as a journey through the coastal landscape, material and sensory experience of Cape Otway, Australia. Influenced by Juhani Pallasmaa’s exploration of embodied and haptic experience, the project uses frottage studies made on site to translate the textures and material character of the coast into architecture. Rather than a single destination, a sequence of spaces gradually reconnects visitors with the landscape, from the curved entry building through elevated boardwalks, on-site accommodation and intimate birdwatching huts to the observation tower. Positioned in juxtaposition to the existing lighthouse, the tower creates a contemporary counterpart to the historic landmark, culminating the journey through a spiralling ascent, exhibition spaces and an elevated platform overlooking the coastline and horizon.