Wedge-shaped viewpoint by BTE Architecture overlooks Loch Lomond
This triangular structure by BTE Architecture provides an elevated viewing platform on the edge of Scotland's Loch Lomond (+ slideshow).
![The Pyramid viewpoint by BTE Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Pyramid_BTE-Architecture_Andrew-Lee_dezeen_936_0.jpg)
Architects Daniel Bär, Stéphane Toussaint, Sean Edwards of Glasgow and Oslo studio BTE Architecture won a competition to design The Pyramid Viewpoint as part of the Scottish Scenic Routes – a government-run initiative intended to spotlight the work of young practices in Scotland.
![The Pyramid viewpoint by BTE Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Pyramid_BTE-Architecture_Andrew-Lee_dezeen_936_3.jpg)
The viewing platform is constructed from Siberian larch and stands on the edge of a rocky peninsula in the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
The tall, wedge-shaped structure has stepped sides and provides an elevated perch for hikers and tourists overlooking the loch, which is the UK's largest stretch of inland water.
![The Pyramid viewpoint by BTE Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Pyramid_BTE-Architecture_Ross-Campbell_dezeen_936_1.jpg)
"Externally the viewpoint creates a distinctive point of attraction," said Bär, Toussaint and Edwards. "With a strong visual impact it embraces the vast drama of the landscape which wants to be experienced in such an exposed location."
"The inviting gesture of the beacon attracts visitors from a distance, to explore an alternative view, a pause in their journey on this scenic seat."
![The Pyramid viewpoint by BTE Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Pyramid_BTE-Architecture_Andrew-Lee_dezeen_936_5.jpg)
The structure is positioned at the end of a gravelled path, which leads through the undergrowth to connect a nearby car park with the peninsula.
![The Pyramid viewpoint by BTE Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Pyramid_BTE-Architecture_Andrew-Lee_dezeen_936_2.jpg)
Only the thinnest angle of the wooden structure is visible on the approach, disguising the scale of the project. A narrow tunnel cuts through the centre of the form, expanding to frame a view of the lake and provide a route to the shore.
![The Pyramid viewpoint by BTE Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Pyramid_BTE-Architecture_Ross-Campbell_dezeen_936_4.jpg)
"It is first seen as a narrow vertical stack amongst the tree trunks surrounding the path," said trio. "Only a glimpse towards the loch is visible through a long tunnel that marks the entrance situation of the viewpoint."
"Only after having passed through this entrance and then looking back into the triangle, the viewpoint manifests itself as a steep rising platform that is accessed by steps going up and around the perimeter of the form."
![The Pyramid viewpoint by BTE Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Pyramid_BTE-Architecture_Andrew-Lee_dezeen_936_6.jpg)
Two flights of steps lead up the sides of the structure to tiered seating in the apex. From here visitors can closer inspect the lake through a set of binoculars.
"It's bold appearance contrasts and compliments the various greens of its natural surroundings and the usable inside of the structure invites the visitor to have a seat on a warm material that wants to be touched," said the architects.
![The Pyramid viewpoint by BTE Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Pyramid_BTE-Architecture_Mick-McGurk_dezeen_936_7.jpg)
Winners of previous Scottish Scenic Routes commissions include architecture students Angus Ritchie and Daniel Tyler, who designed a mirrored lookout point for the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
Project credits:
Architecture: BTE Architecture
Project architects: Daniel Bär, Stéphane Toussaint, Sean Edwards
Structural engineer: David Narro Associates
Contractor: Land Engineering
Client: Scottish Government
Supervision: Loch Lomond, The National Park
![The Pyramid viewpoint by BTE Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Pyramid_BTE-Architecture_dezeen_1.jpg)
![The Pyramid viewpoint by BTE Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Pyramid_BTE-Architecture_dezeen_1.gif)
![The Pyramid viewpoint by BTE Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Pyramid_BTE-Architecture_dezeen_2.gif)
![The Pyramid viewpoint by BTE Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Pyramid_BTE-Architecture_dezeen_4.gif)
![The Pyramid viewpoint by BTE Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Pyramid_BTE-Architecture_dezeen_3.gif)