LoginJoin us
Register
Forgot Password
Add to Collection

Footbridge, Shelter and Bench on Stranik Hill

Zilina-Zastranie, Slovakia
596f082f-333c-4450-a87b-48086d7b5e1b.jpg
1 of 17

Originally, the local government aimed to construct an observation tower at Stranik, as the hill offers an exceptional view of Zilina - an 80 thousand industrial city in the Northwest Slovakia. Since the 1930's the hill of Stranik has been used for flying gliders. Local authorities initiated a workshop at the site, which brought together architects (2021 and LABAK), students of architecture and all stakeholders. The outcome of this gathering generated a consensus, that the idea of constructing a lookout tower at Stranik should be reconsidered.

Obstacles

Stranik itself makes a great viewpoint, because much of the hill's crest is not forested. Moreover, the crest of the hill is a protectednational heritage site - around 10th - 12th century B.C. a hill-fort had existed here, what complicates any kind of intervention into theenvironment. So in the end the ambitions to develop Stranik narrowed down to: how to make this place attractive for tourists, while taking into consideration claims made by heritage conservationists, paragliders as well as forestry, because the area is also used for logging timber.

Solution

Instead of introducing new elements, 2021 and LABAK mapped the existing infrastructure - the pathway, provisional shelter and the bench and translated it into contemporary architectonic language. The subtle footbridge aims to controllably manage movement of tourists, away from the flying, and at the same time provide an easy access to the top of the hill for visitors with limited mobility. Thefootbridge levitates above the terrain and the only physical contact is through ground screws. The path leads to a shelter roof, from where visitors can observe the picturesque images of rogallos,paragliders and gliding planes taking off and flying above the landscape. The pathway leads visitors to its end with a bench, where they can sit and enjoy the panoramic view of Small Fatra mountain range and national park, as well Zilina's car factory. This project used local black locust wood, which is maintenance-free, resilient to vermins as well as to changing weather conditions.

Go to article
bostjan, July 19th, 2017
Go to article