At approximately 443-feet-tall, Top Tower would become the tallest building in Prague. And while, especially in today’s world of Supertalls closing in on 2,000 feet, the height may not seem too impressive, another element of the proposed building would serve to make it one of the most unique buildings in the world: a giant sculpture of a shipwreck that rises the length of the building (and beyond).
Designed by sculptor David Černý and architect Tomáš Císař from the studio Black n´ Arch for developer Trigema, Top Tower looks like it would be more at home in the world of Mad Max than Prague’s new pedestrian zone. The LEED Gold targeted building will feature rental housing with offices on the lower floors. Retail shops will be located on the first and second floors with public parking underground. A multifunctional cultural center connects to a publicly accessible roof garden.
The shipwreck sculpture is meant as a warning to unchecked climate change, evoking a vision of a post-apocalyptic future. The bright red sculpture rises vertically with the building, culminating just above the roof garden. Here, accessible by ski lift, the sculpture becomes the tallest viewing deck in Prague, providing views of nearly the entire perimeter of the City.
See Also: KPF-designed CITIC tower is Beijing’s tallest
Top Tower also includes the revitalization of the public pedestrian zone between the entrances and exits of the Nové Butovice metro station. Trigema is hoping to begin construction on the tower in 2021 and expects construction to take fewer than three years.
Related Stories
| Aug 19, 2014
Goettsch Partners unveils design for mega mixed-use development in Shenzhen [slideshow]
The overall design concept is of a complex of textured buildings that would differentiate from the surrounding blue-glass buildings of Shenzhen.
| Aug 15, 2014
First look: RMJM’s 'jumping fish' tower design for the Chinese Riviera
The tower's fish-jumping gesture is meant to symbolize the prosperity and rapid transformation of Zhuhai, China.
| Aug 12, 2014
Shading prototype could allow new levels of environmental control for skyscraper occupants
Developed by architects at NBBJ, Sunbreak uses a unique three-hinged shade that morphs from an opaque shutter to an abstract set of vertical blinds to an awning, depending on what is needed.
| Aug 6, 2014
Vegetated residential tower breaks ground in Taiwan
With vegetated balconies reaching the full height of the 100-meter tower, the One More residential development aims to establish a relationship between its residents and nature.
| Aug 5, 2014
New bomb-proof concrete mixture used in One World Trade Center
The new concrete mix deforms instead of breaking, removing the threat of flying debris in an explosive attack.
| Jul 30, 2014
Wolf Point high-rise development begins construction in Chicago
Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the 48-story luxury residential tower is part of a three-tower mixed-use development along the Chicago River.
| Jul 24, 2014
High-rise 'slum' in Venezuela to be shuttered
Authorities have decided to move 4,400 squatters out of Venezuela's third-tallest skyscraper, allegedly to investigate the structural soundness of the tower.
| Jul 17, 2014
A harmful trade-off many U.S. green buildings make
The Urban Green Council addresses a concern that many "green" buildings in the U.S. have: poor insulation.
| Jul 17, 2014
A high-rise with outdoor, vertical community space? It's possible! [slideshow]
Danish design firm C.F. Møller has developed a novel way to increase community space without compromising privacy or indoor space.
| Jul 11, 2014
First look: Jeanne Gang reinterprets San Francisco Bay windows in new skyscraper scheme
Chicago architect Jeanne Gang has designed a 40-story residential building in San Francisco that is inspired by the city's omnipresent bay windows.
