Nine mountainous systems scattered over 142,000 hectares in north-eastern Italy form the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010. The site is under the protection of the Fondazione Dolomiti-Dolomiten-Dolomites-Dolomitis, which commissioned MESSNER Architects and sculptor Franz Messner to design lookouts and information structures in different parts of the territory. After a prototype, the first lookout was built on Monte Specie, at 2,305 metres. The idea was to create a structure with a very strong connection to its context. The partially ‘floating’ structure is made of steel. A small opening allows visitors to enter a kind of circle, where all the information is located. Looking out from atop the ‘floating’ platform, visitors are greeted by the magnificence of the mountains.
