With the moose’s antlers providing the perfect platform for people to perch on as they safely observe nature, Thilina Liyanage’s Alaska Moose Observation Deck is a wonderful example of nature-inspired design at its best.

Liyanage is no stranger to biomimicry and design. The Sri Lankan designer has worked extensively on architectural projects that directly and indirectly interpret natural cues. The Alaska Moose Observation Deck assumes the shape of a moose-head, with the face providing a unique facade that has a staircase within it, leading up to the two elevated decks. The decks sit atop the moose’s horns, offering a stunning view of the forest up ahead, while at the same time being an incredibly eye-catching and iconic piece of architecture even when viewed down from below.

Designer: Thilina Liyanage

Liyanage’s creation, like a lot of his past work, relies predominantly on wood. The wood provides the perfect set of physical properties for his organic designs. It’s easy to mold, curve, sand, finish, and join together to create any curvilinear shape. If treated and polished well, it also provides a wonderful natural finish to your final design without needing any coating of paint.

The split observation deck is accessible by a single staircase that forks in two at the end. While the overall design doesn’t look pretty stable, it’s held in place by a set of cables that pin it to the ground like a massive tent. Big enough to comfortably hold 10 people on each side, the deck offers a stellar, panoramic view of the forest it’s situated in… and even comes with lights that glow as the sun sets, turning the observation deck into a massive art installation!

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Using a combination of hardwood and bamboo, Thilina Liyanage’s observation deck for Yala National Park in Sri Lanka assumes the shape of a grazing deer, with its majestic form looking larger than life. The deer, complete even with antlers, bend downwards to allow their long necks and antlers to act as staircases. Climb up and you’re treated to a 15ft. high stunning view of the Yala National Park, home to Sri Lankan Elephants, Sri Lankan Leopards, and a host of other wild animals and aquatic birds.

Designer: Thilina Liyanage

The observation decks are well in line with Liyanage’s nature-inspired design ethos. Previously having designed a yacht club in the shape of a manta ray and a beach shack in the shape of a goldfish, Liyanage looks again to an indigenous animal for his observation deck. The national park, located on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, is home to the Sambar deer – a large deer with antlers that proved to be the ideal choice for Liyanage. The decks are modeled on the deer’s graceful form, with a solid wooden structure that’s then overlaid with a low-poly mesh-inspired clad which provides the deer’s details and features. The deck features a split staircase that unites at a landing right above the deer’s head. From then, it’s a single staircase that leads to a dual-platform deck that’s big enough for roughly 10 people… although I wouldn’t recommend those kinds of loads on a wooden structure!

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