Gulliver

Assignment: To create a kind of non-corresponding structure of an absurd organic shape above the modern industrial building of the DOX Centre, which would contrast with the existing architecture of DOX.

Architecture: The construction of a giant wooden airship is further evidence of the personal conviction of the director of the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Leoš Válka, which is also reflected in the overall philosophy of DOX, that even in today’s rapidly changing globalized world, where the rule is that nothing that cannot be calculated, assessed, or predicted is worth risking, things can be done differently. In 2013, Leoš Válka approached internationally recognized architect Martin Rajniš, holder of the Global Prize for Sustainable Architecture in 2014, to collaborate on the realization of what he himself calls “the dream of 12-year-old boys.” Martin Rajniš, in cooperation with David Kubík (Huť architektury), spent more than two years working with experts on wooden structures and steel on the design of a 42-meter-long and 10-meter-wide structure inspired by the shapes of giant airships that began to traverse the skies at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The shape of the airship is symbolic. The first airships represented the optimistic ideals of a new era of unprecedented technological progress. With their remarkable monumentality and hypnotic dignity, they continued to fascinate generations long after they vanished from the sky. Airships have always embodied the eternal human desire to fly while also representing a certain utopian ideal. The airship above the DOX Centre carries the name of one of the most famous characters in utopian literature. Gulliver will serve as a space for the meeting of contemporary art with literature, and the program will develop themes of exhibitions at the DOX Centre, characterized by a critical reflection on the functioning of today’s world.

Construction and Technology: Length 42.2 m, max. diameter 9.35 m, highest point 24.35 m (body of the airship). The basic skeleton of the airship consists of 14 truss rings made of glued larch wood, positioned transversely at intervals of 2.2 – 3 m, which are interconnected by longitudinal wooden truss elements. The structure is supplemented with steel cables. The load-bearing wooden structure of the airship is suspended and anchored to an inclined steel truss bridge, which simultaneously serves as a load-bearing substrate for the internal wooden floor of the airship. The bridge is supported by a pair of steel truss columns welded along the façades inside the courtyard, which are mounted on newly constructed piled foundations. The cantilevered part of the bridge extending over part of the terrace is stabilized in horizontal directions by braces and tension rods. Access to the airship is provided by a pair of steel staircases. The basic wooden skeleton of the airship is clad with larch slats. A gondola is attached to the airship, which is accessible via a ladder from the airship deck. The entire structure is covered with a single-layer transparent ETFE membrane. The airship is equipped with audiovisual and lighting technology, allowing for year-round operation due to the installed infrared panels.