China's New Double-Helix Tower Turns Bird-Watching Into a Climb Through an Escher-Like Staircase

A new 19.9-meter (65-foot) tower has risen above the Chenhu Wetland near Wuhan, China, giving visitors a place to watch the more than 100,000 migratory birds that frequent the site from October to March. Designed by Shanghai-based Xiang Architects and built on a 22-meter natural elevation, the Chenhu Migratory Bird Observation Tower is more than an elevated viewing platform: it is a walkable structure meant to be experienced on the way up, not just at the top.

Inside, the tower uses a double-helix layout with two counter-rotating staircases, one for visitors going up and one for those coming down, an arrangement the architects compare to an Escher drawing when viewed from inside. Along the climb, 24 viewing platforms across nine flights of stairs, each covering about 1.5 meters of elevation, offer changing views of the surrounding wetland as visitors ascend, before a platform at the top offers uninterrupted views of the region, including the nearby Tonghu town and Tongshun River.

"The experience is organized into three perceptual stages: ascending, turning, and overlooking," Xiang Architects said. "The stairs establish a steady physical rhythm, while the platforms provide moments of pause and reflection." The tower was built from 24 prefabricated steel sections, with counter-rotating steel braces providing structural support in place of a central column, and its steel cladding was chosen so the structure reads as a sculptural presence rather than an attempt to blend into the landscape.

"This building has no interest in blending in with nature — and it works beautifully," the architects said, adding that the tower's appearance changes with the weather, from dissolving into wetland mist on overcast days to glowing amber at sunset.