Since the 1980s the German state of Baden-Württemberg has held Landesgartenschau, an annual festival later exported to other Länder, which through gardening endeavors to enhance the quality of life and the natural wealth of the host town. This year’s location is Wangen in the Allgovian Alps, where amid plant nurseries and flowerbeds an expressive tower now stands as a marker for the event. Jointly designed by the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart, the 23-meter-construction sums up their research on the workings of wood and its potential for digitally-aided fabrication. Twelve curved segments formed by cross-laminated boards just 130 millimeters thick enclose a spiral staircase and a viewing deck, their twisted forms providing a formidable resistance to wind loads. Numerically controlled milling of the pieces has ensured precision in assemblage and maximum harnessing of the material...[+]