Cabinet of Wonder
2019 / Prague, CZ
Masters Architecture Design Studio, TU Delft
Prague is a mystical and wonderous city. It has many layers in its urban fabric that create different and sometimes even hidden routes. In becoming a contemporary version of Prague’s Urban Palace typology, Cabinet of Wonder is to be seen as a continuum of this existing public realm. An interior public street which is making use of the same material as the existing streets of Prague, connects new dynamic points inside of the building with the neighbouring urban fabric. This street also descends, offering the public a different perspective on the new and manifold functions inside the Cabinet of Wonder.
The functions and their masses are framed mostly by two large voids and their orientation towards the sun. To empower the experience of wonder, the masses are slightly shifted in order to prevent the public to experience the building all at once. Most of all, they intend to encourage wandering. Some building parts stand out to make a statement. By applying a different material for each function, these elements express their own identity.
A distinctive exterior wall forms the transition between the inside and the outside of the building. The wall is intended as a very static element that provides a feeling of protection. However, it also needs to attract the public to explore inside, which required it to have a certain level of transparency. The thickness of the wall evokes a sense of insecurity, but provokes still sufficient curiosity to eventually pass and enter into an unexpected realm within the city. In these ambiguous connections with the city, the Cabinet of Wonder becomes part of its urban fabric.
In collaboration with Oscar van Claer and Erik Remishevsky.
This project was published at the Public Building Studio website.
