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
| Mar 14, 2013
25 cities with the most Energy Star certified buildings
Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Chicago top EPA's list of the U.S. cities with the greatest number of Energy Star certified buildings in 2012.
| Feb 28, 2013
Lend Lease builds world's tallest timber apartment building
Construction giant Lend Lease recently put the finishing touches on Forté, a 10-story apartment complex in Melbourne, Australia's Victoria Harbour that was built entirely with cross laminated timber (CTL) technology.
| Feb 21, 2013
AIA College of Fellows awards 2013 Latrobe Prize for 'The City of 7 Billion'
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows has awarded the 2013 Latrobe Prize of $100,000 for the proposal, “The City of 7 Billion.”
| Feb 21, 2013
Holl videos discuss design features of Chengdu ' Porosity Block' project
Architect Steven Holl has released two short films describing the development of Sliced Porosity Block in Chengdu, China.
| Feb 21, 2013
Construction team chosen for world's tallest building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Construction team chosen for world's tallest building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
| Feb 17, 2013
Pakistan to get world's tallest tower in $45 billion deal
Newly signed mega deal will fund construction of several massive developments in Karachi, including a mixed-use tower that will dwarf the Burj Khalifa.
| Feb 13, 2013
'Vegetative tower' apartments to revive NYC site
A Manhattan site formerly slated for development with a "tower of cubes"—a now-defunct project by Santiago Calatrava—will be revived with a 998-foot, 300,000-sf apartment building by Morali Architects.
| Jul 9, 2012
Modular Construction Delivers Model for New York Housing in Record Time
A 65-unit supportive housing facility in Brooklyn, N.Y., was completed in record time using modular construction with six stories set in just 12 days.
| Jul 2, 2012
San Francisco lays claim to the greenest building in North America
The 13-floor building can hold around 900 people, but consumes 60% less water and 32% less energy than most buildings of its kind.
| Jun 13, 2012
Thornton Tomasetti founding principals receive CTBUH Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal
This is the first time the CTBUH Board of Trustees has awarded the prize to two individuals jointly.