Czech architecture studio Black n' Arch has designed a new mixed-use tower that resembles "a vertical shipwreck" on the outskirts of Prague, Czech Republic.

The new high-rise, named Top Tower, is designed by Black n' Arch and sculptor David Černý to provide this iconic form to be able to be perceived from far away with its dramatic red-colored climbable exoskeleton for plants. 

Developed by Trigema, the 135-metre high building is set to be built Czech Republic's tallest building. Top Tower will be built on the new almost one kilometer local pedestrian zone, which runs from the Nové Butovice metro station through the central Sluneční náměstí to the Hůrka metro station. 

The tower will be close to the already realized project of the Cyberdog Technology and Information Center, David Černý Trifot's sculpture or the SMART Trigemy residential complex, which includes a gallery focused on contemporary modern photography of the Czech Photo Center.

The building is aimed to contain rental housing (approximately including 250 small apartments) and on the lower floors there will be offices and premises for a multifunctional cultural center connected to a publicly accessible roof garden.

The tower is designed to offer a public view point at the highest point of the building, where visitors can get there by a ski lift. Almost the entire perimeter of Prague will be visible from the lookout point, starting from the Prague Castle, starting with the National Theater, Vyšehrad and Zbraslav. 

Shops and service shops will be designed on the ground floor and second floor. In the underground there will be capacity parking spaces, which will be shared for the general public with the aim of using these spaces in the range of 24/7.

Trigema is currently going for a building permit of the project and if everything goes on a plan, construction is expected to start in 2021, and the building is scheduled to take less than three years to be built. 

Trigema also counts on the certification of the Top Tower building with the LEED Gold certificate. The building is planned as an energy-efficient building. 

"As the investor's height study demonstrates, the project under preparation will be outside the protected zone of the urban conservation area and outside the area prohibiting high-rise buildings," said Trigema. 

"At the same time, it is located from the Prague viewpoint so that it will not be visible from the vast majority of places in the center of the metropolis and thus the historical panorama of the city will not be disturbed."

The project also includes the revitalization of the public pedestrian zone between the two entrances and exits of the Nové Butovice metro station. This zone will be under the baton of the investor connected to the existing solution Korza in Nové Butovice, in which Trigema participated substantially. 

At the same time, the investor initiated the preparation of a new parking house at the intersection of Petržílkova and Bucharova streets with a capacity of 380 places. It should stand within 200 meters of the project and replace the existing capacity of 60 parking spaces.

"We have been preparing the Top Tower project for more than two years and the final version was preceded by eight other alternative solutions," said Marcel Soural, Chairman of the Board of Trigema. 

"During this time, we have collected and are still collecting suggestions from experts, affected state and local authorities, and of course the local public, whose representatives have already been and will continue to participate in a number of participatory negotiations."

The tower is crown with a striking red-colored exoskeleton that wraps one part of the building and forms the observatory of the building. Plants and green infills will climb this exoskeleton made of steel. Sculptor David Černý is inspired by climate change for this dramatic outer visual of the building to give "a post-apocalyptic message about what is happening around."

"This is something we wanted to do as a memento which connects art and architecture. It is actually a post-apocalyptic message about what is happening around," Tomáš Císař, the lead architect of Black n´Arch studio told Czech Radio. 

"The L-shape of the building is kind of catastrophic. It serves as a pedestal for the statue. It is more solid and the ship is going through it. It is sort of a fresh apocalyptic picture."

Anticipated cost of the building is expected to reach 2 billion Czech Crowns ($85 million USD).

All images & video courtesy of Trigema

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