Jiří Gulbis atelier: Doc. Ing.arch. Zdeněk Fránek / consultant: Ing.arch. Radek Suchánek
Prague / Prague Castle / Jelenní příkop / wilderness in the shadow of the nation's history / here the bridge is already / Powder Bridge / connects / is the way
fulfillment of Plečnik's plan to connect Prague Castle with Letná
Footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists Historically valuable space, city center - must it be "noble"? It is not adorned, it is quiet - it is somewhat there casually. The footbridge overcomes a natural gorge, it actually shouldn't overcome, it is meant to offer a new or rather additional layer of the city in a unique peaceful space, to stop the rushing, to provide a view of a world free of everyday chaos, shade for lovers, rest for grandmothers on a Sunday walk. This footbridge is more of a destination than a way. Two paths opened to the city and closed to the wilderness unexpectedly open to natural elements at the point of intersection, yet the viewer is protected by the hint of an archetypal house. It is more about delineating space in the sense of "covered backs" than about isolating the interior from the exterior. As if in spring rain, only every second drop should fall on the pilgrim.
The hard steel "centipede" carries a soft semi-permeable structure of infinitely repeating wooden planks of the same profile 5x20cm, which by its constant repetition creates a "mantra effect" soothing the visitor, who with this calming, arrives at the destination ready to resonate with the spirit of the place.
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