The exhibition at DOXu showcases the latest work of architect Rajniš

Prague - A retrospective of the works of architect Martin Rajniš and his studio, focusing on the last 12 years, is presented in an exhibition that starts today at the DOX Center for Contemporary Art. Through his projects, Rajniš highlights the necessity of harmony with nature, often using only wood. One of his most famous buildings is the new Post Office on Sněžka.
    The exhibition is also held on the occasion of the awarding of the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, which Rajniš received in May. Since 2006, it has been awarded by the independent Locus Foundation, promoting projects that are connected by the idea of long-term social sustainability, ecology, social ties, and architecture as a tool for societal development.
    "I try to do what is almost impossible - to please ordinary people while ensuring that experts do not turn their noses up at it. That things that are simply made are also beautiful," Rajniš told journalists today. Among his recent projects is the Doubravka lookout tower, which he calls Trifid due to its resemblance to three outstretched legs and which is intended for Prague 14. Its model and photographs from the test construction are displayed at the exhibition.
    It is made of invasive tree species, or sticks, as Rajniš refers to them, which he perceives as "the material of the future." "Now I am working with sticks; they grow by themselves, and in some places, they will even pay you for it when you harvest them," he said in front of the model of the building, which stands on the terrace at DOX and which he calls Elephant's Back. The sticks are joined with metal couplings, and in their intersections, he used an anti-slip device known as a boxer. "In 15 years, the country will be full of it; a Czech person, when it is cheap and they can do it themselves, will not hesitate - at least I hope," he believes in the development of buildings made from invasive tree species.
    Rajniš (70) studied at ČVUT and AVU. In the 1970s, he worked in the SIAL studio led by Karel Hubáček. Together with John Eisler and Miroslav Masák, he built the Prague department store Máj on Národní Street. He is a co-author of the Transportation History Pavilion at Expo 1986 in Vancouver. After the revolution, he led D. A. Studio with Stanislav Fiala, Jaroslav Zima, and Tomáš Prouza, whose most extensive work is the construction of a new shopping center in Prague's Smíchov district.
    Since 2002, his work has been different. He focuses on smaller buildings made from natural materials such as wood, stone, and glass. He tries to find ways that would serve the widest group of users with minimal resources and with humility towards existing buildings and landscapes, restoring architecture to its key position in civilization.