TV Tower

As part of the reconstruction of the Žižkov Television Tower, which was built between 1985-92 based on the design by architect Václav Aulický and engineer Jiří Kozák, we addressed comprehensive commercial use of the dining and observation spaces. Referring to machineism, constructivism, and utopian visions of architecture from the last century, we employed a range of futuristic elements. These can be found in the very reception area, which is dominated by an organically designed reception desk made from white glass laminate. In the first vertical module, we preserved the existing function of the restaurant and subdivided the original space. There is a three-level seating arrangement of almost tribune-like character, which lowers towards the window, where it is the lowest. This concept ensures that all visitors have a view of the Prague skyline from their tables. From the entrance area to the left, we then access a more formal restaurant, equipped like the other spaces in the tower, with chairs from the Vitra brand. Two levels of seating are separated by custom-designed organically woven wire partitions. On the same floor, there is also a café and a night bar, dominated by a backlit counter with glass profiles based on the building's floor plan. The cast iron spiral staircase decorated with graphic illustrations of famous global television towers by the studio Officina leads us to the space of the former lounge, now an exclusive one-room hotel. This is again furnished, among other things, with Vitra furniture and clad in smooth wooden paneling. Behind the glazed wall, there is a white bathroom with a freestanding bathtub. The view from this suite is magnificent. Staying here is a unique experience. The observation module is then furnished with Eero Aarnio's Bubble hanging chairs and a central multifunctional organic object that can be used for sitting or as a DJ booth.

A significant challenge during this reconstruction was the optimization and shortening of routes for the air conditioning system. We managed to open the lower part of the tower to visitors only by reducing the technological infrastructure, which is also essential here, by more than half. To avoid compromising the statics, it was not possible to make new distributions; instead, we had to use the existing ones that were previously here, fitting everything necessary into them. All technology is now covered; only inspection openings remain in the ceiling, which we did not want to conceal with an unsightly dropped ceiling, so we designed circular plaster rotations.

“The entire tower is a testament to our way of working and thinking about projects in general. Every screw and everything that has any shape is always conditioned by something. Every element makes sense. Nothing here is without reason. Our victory is mainly in the fact that we managed to eliminate the atmosphere of a nuclear shelter, so today’s visitors can experience completely different feelings than before, and besides the stunning experience of the view, they can also enjoy chatting about whether they like the coffee there or not. In short, we managed to create an atmosphere in this special place that makes people want to come back. That is a rarity because atmosphere is hard to design.”