Competition entry for an open international architectural competition. The project brief was for a new headquarters for the national rail network operator Sprava Zeleznic in Prague, Czech.
Our design emphasises the context within which the building sits. A rail infrastructure network to one elevation and city blocks to the other. The long site shape helping reinforce the idea of trains running at speed, linked in the centre by the main entrance, reminiscent of wheels connecting carriages.
A spine wall reinforces the edge of the city block and helps define the various elements of the building. The spine wall extends the length of the site, creating a dramatic entrance to the city by rail. This wall is used as an architectural tool to organise the various uses of the building, exposing the social and public areas to the west whilst concealing the working areas to the east. The working areas are contained within a glass and steel element conceived as a lightweight form clad in a corten steel brise-soleil mesh, reminiscent of the terracotta pantile roofs of Prague.