Porta Bohemica Information Center and Outlook

In Roudnice nad Labem, a water tower has stood on the left bank of the Elbe River since 1927. It is no coincidence that there is a train station next to it. It used to be used to power steam locomotives. There were two tanks in the upper concrete part, each of which held up to 60 m3 of water. This weight of 120t was carried only by the 12cm thick bottom of the concrete dome and the walls 8-15cm wide. Today, however, the tower is empty and has no use. I designed an extension to the tower, including a café, information center and gallery, in addition, in a separate tower, there is a lookout in the circular concrete part. The concept of my design is that the whole building is the shadow of the tower. This is the basis of its shape and its overall tuning to black. The building is designed as a metal structure of the roof slab and a reinforced concrete structure of the slab on the ground, which are made of water. Between them are two buildings, the outer exterior material is matte mirrors or glazing, which dematerializes the buildings and the spaces open up to nature. The bottom plate, which is crossed by a cycle path, initiates a road intersected by train tracks. The top plate has an extensive walkable roof with variable use.