With the nomad Petr Janda in the land of beautiful flamingos

Jiří Horský: Your visitor center doesn't look much like a house. More like a statue. Or perhaps a mysterious giant creature…?
Petr Janda: It’s a question of where architecture actually begins and ends… or where sculpture starts, or even artistic endeavor. However, this question is not central for us. We are more drawn to the theme of the symbiosis of layers – I mean both expressive and functional as well as structural layers.

Let’s go back to the very beginning. You currently have a lot of work with the embankments, but also with the National Museum… Why did you decide to compete in Arabia all of a sudden? What attracted you to this competition?
Certainly the strong theme. To create a dramaturgy that represents architecture not just as a physical object, but as a source for discovering relational connections in the locality. An entry into a biotope such that the architecture is legible to visitors, while at the same time the entry into the topic should not disrupt the flamingos' habitat. To summarize: a consistent form with a certain symbolic level, but also a relational level, and obviously a linguistic level that speaks to the visitor.

There are certainly enough themes in this distant and complex environment for a European architect. What primarily inspired you during the design process?
Probably the flamingos themselves. Which I say somewhat reluctantly – because often more than something specific, we derive from experiential potential and mainly emotional. In Abu Dhabi, we started with key elements that identify flamingos. Ultimately, we arrived at the factor of feather coloring, which became one of the leitmotifs of the building for us. This occurs through the food chain. Flamingos feed on, among other things, crustaceans that consume algae, which produce carotenoids – and those are red. Their feathers thus change color from white to pink to red-orange; depending on their food. Furthermore, on the surface of the building, we nurture layers of orange to red lichens in the spirit of this transformation – using moisture condensation. The theme of color metamorphosis forms the basis of the entire exhibition here. A broader part of the story also includes our two pink ponds exhibiting carotenoid colorization due to algae and crustaceans within saline wetlands – by the way, you can find them not only in Arabia. One of the ponds serves as a central skylight that will illuminate the entrance hall. It is designed as an acrylic shell and captivates with a purely amorphous shape; by the way, you'll know acrylic glass from the vaults of our Prague embankments… The advantage of acrylic is that it exhibits a clarity higher than glass. So it won't break the pink light into green—allowing the water surface to shimmer beautifully and diffusely. A key element of our approach is the very native environment, which should form a living, contextual component of the center. The Arabian desert mostly has layered sedimentary geology – when you walk through natural gorges in the rock city of Petra in Jordan, you see that they exhibit clear visuality, which should relate to our color scheme at the center. From a broader perspective, we are trying to enhance the feeling of authenticity with the flamingo's colors, and the object itself, we hope, will somewhat transform into an exhibit of natural recoloring with details of vegetation and animal life, as well as the biotopes themselves.


Your very description – it cannot be overlooked – seems to reveal a guide-like quality or even a potency of synthesis…
We genuinely strive to address creative layers holistically: here and now – simply all at once. We perceive this as our fundamental process generator.

Architectural Contexts

If a jury member were to Google the Czech basin, that is, architecturally, including your office, how would they perceive us, or rather our scene?
If they were to try to find my personal history, I think it isn’t entirely linked to the fact that I was born in the Czech basin. Throughout my active life, I travel a lot, so my perception isn’t firmly fixed to the country I live in. I also have experience from deserts, including the Arabian one… Multiplicatively in various deserts around the world. Since childhood, I have also been a conservationist, I collected minerals and rare stones… I cherish various biotopes. And at the same time, I am a trained architect and sculptor…

And how would you say they would view our current architectural tendencies?
I probably cannot answer that. Perhaps because our approach is somewhat different from ordinary Czech production. I see our setting as quite non-regional, even though we are accustomed to working with local context. But it cannot be ignored that the pluralization of approaches to architecture, which occurred through digital media and digital programs – somewhat subtly – around the turn of the millennium, globalized outputs to a certain extent. And at the same time allowed the achievement of authentic results from virtually any place on earth; even in quite complicated or specific assignments. Certainly with the help of creative empathy. And the connectability of our design with the locality from which I originate is somewhat indirect. But it occurs to me that there could be a certain factor as to why our project, for instance, is quite well-developed: Perhaps it stems from our experience with the difficulty of transitioning from project to realization… So Czech architects must be quite patient. Achieving real results here is, as we know, simply not easy. And it’s no wonder that we have a number of unrealized proposals in our portfolio, which are somewhat related to our winning proposal.
But otherwise – when we talk about tendencies, I don’t think a style predominant here could be characterized… If you took a quantitative and cross-sectional historical view, you might find a certain inclination towards artistic interpretation. But don’t forget that architecture never works with a direct reference to the present. In this context, we cannot overlook that we are a country with a great cultural tradition, which is also a part of the influence on our work. For example, we have a museum in the capital that is 200 years old. And we probably don’t even realize it, but that also represents a kind of background that younger states lack, so they work with a certain, let’s say, simpler reflection on themes to solve.

And conversely, regarding production on the Arabian Peninsula? How do you perceive your relationship?
It is true that we are quite separate from the happenings in Abu Dhabi, so we haven't even tried to respond in any way to the construction boom there in downtown. Mostly, solitary structures are being created, each with its own content, idea, and form, but often they do not work with a continuous, consistent master plan…. So they create a certain heterogeneous urban cluster, which I personally don’t much like in some aspects, yet that’s no reason to look down on phenomena there; especially from our perspective, where we already have a very complex built environment… And to ridicule them, let them do their thing, as nothing similar is realistic for us. It is simply our certain circumstance or situation, which may not even be permanent… On the other hand, it seems that a strange conception has begun to emerge among our architects’ subconscious, that our city, perhaps just Prague, has stopped living and architects should just be dusting it off, since everything has already been created. I cannot identify with that personally. Because it is a misunderstanding of how our cities came into being. It’s clear they were built from peak performances, and not through some general sidelining…

Here and Now

Let’s return to your future construction site… How would you characterize the situation?
The land represents a high embankment at the level of the access road, which exhibits a sharp decline to the natural surroundings. Quite quickly, we realized that we were moving on the border between something definable architecturally that could be connected to the city, but it is an alien element with respect to the addressed reserve. We tried to connect and simultaneously blur this boundary through our project. The assignment stated that the new object should essentially stand on the embankment. But we submerged the object into the body of the embankment.


Could you guide a visitor to the interior of the future center for their imagination?
They will exit from the parking lot, with vegetation shade from reed bushes and before them will see something like an unclear or ambiguous amorphous rock. They will ascend onto it and through a crack in its mass descend via a spiral ramp into its interior, where they will gradually access the main observation terrace, above which a tube will hover. This contains the exhibition and shades the aforementioned lower observation lobby. From there, they will then enter the central visitor hall. This consists of a concentric, large space, from which three paths radiate. Two are connected into a ring of the exhibition part and the middle one leads to a conference and projection hall. In the hall, the visitor will receive basic information about the exhibition and the reserve and either set off on the exhibition tour or back in order to enter the reserve. Or they might use the café. In the case of choosing the exhibition, they will undergo an introductory projection and then ascend to the exhibition ring with a viewing window. But what is also important, and what they will see along the way: The entire exhibition tube is woven with side channels that nourish the vegetative layer, and that will grow over the walls and ceiling of the entire interior. We will present plants that contain the mentioned carotenoids affecting their color. All showcases should be crafted as integral growths of the building's mass; visitors will find aquaria and small dioramas about the life of animals in the reserve. And 1:1 models of flamingos and other fauna.

You must have become acquainted with the challenging climate in the area. Hot during the day, cold at night… How complex is it to ensure the interior climate in the building?
During a large part of the year, as is known, strong sunlight is a significant factor here. So, when you want to allow visitors to reflect, for example, on the reserve, you must protect them from the sun. Hence, we propose the building as a double-shell concrete shell with an integrated cooling hose system. These will be embedded beneath the surface of both the inner and outer shell. Throughout the day, we will circulate cold water in the inner shell, which will cool the internal surface of the curved walls and ceilings – and consequently cool the entire climate of the building. Of course, with the use of the building, everything will heat up. Overnight, we will then let the warmed medium into the outer shell. The temperature difference will create a dew point on the surface and water will begin to condense here, cooling the pipes while also nourishing the aforementioned colored lichens.
 
What materials are you counting on for the realization?
Firstly with organic materials, as we will allow a certain type of lichen to grow on the building's surface. As for the majority of inorganic materials, it will pertain to the structure of the building, where we plan to use the colored reinforced concrete mentioned. The load-bearing part will be cast layered into carpenter's formwork made from normal boards, curved into horizontal strips that are seen on the traces of the object. The boards will be brushed to structure, and the characteristic surface of the concrete after stripping will be achieved by shot-blasting with sharp metallic particles. The resulting structure will then be sufficiently rough, but should simultaneously have clear mentioned formwork and pouring layering. The pouring will take place in forty-centimeter layers. The aim is for the pink-orange concrete to achieve a similarity with the sedimentary rocks I mentioned through layering effects. On the outer layer, a one-centimeter sprayed waterproof insulation will be applied from the inside, then sprayed foam thermal insulation, and subsequently a coated internal shell will be finished to give it the appearance of rock structure.


By the way, it can be assumed that the competitors personally visited the location... Did you?
I did not; I don’t know about the others. But I don’t see it as a big problem. Nowadays, you have tools available that can familiarize you with the locality, such as street view, etc. Moreover, the place isn’t that contextually complex. After all, we have already done projects on the Arabian Peninsula – and quite successfully… As for the project team, I would like to assemble it here – and by chance, I have discovered a colleague in the area who moves in that field and this local connection would help us greatly.

Through the Flamingo's Eyes

As a conclusion, allow me a light-hearted question: What will the flamingos themselves probably say about the new center? Are you not concerned that your building will appear disturbing to them during flight or landing?
We have carefully consulted precisely this topic. Among other things, with an ornithologist who, by coincidence, is also a bird photographer and has experience observing their behavior especially in contact with humans. Naturally, we cannot empathize with their perception. However, what is known is that birds have one more type of cone in their retina than humans, so simply put, they don’t only see RGB but also ultraviolet light – which significantly alters their observable spectrum. The flamingo's psyche, of course, cannot be researched entirely accurately…
Nevertheless, I digress a bit to a key property related to architecture – to ensure quality observation. The object primarily should not scare the flamingos. Thus, there must not be any visible movement there. Both human movement should be absent, and windows or doors should not gleam, for example. And so, the mentioned observation window has been shaped and set into the building's shell to avoid any visible reflection. Furthermore, there will be a lower observation area, which we are placing on the terrace, so outside the interior. We have submerged it into the object, which thus hovers above the observer…

And regarding the bird perspective, that is, the flamingo's perspective?
When flying, a flamingo certainly uses identifying elements and navigates thanks to them. From reading the locality, it seems that the identifying element for it will probably be the water surface of the reserve itself. And we should create an object that does not contrast alien like this element. At the same time, it should contain a certain characteristic form. So our center could ultimately serve as a lighthouse for the flamingo to read the landscape. It is not excluded that this is pure fabrication...


As you talk about this at the beginning of the interview, it seems you truly prefer feelings and sensations over ratio…
By the way, we discussed this some time ago with doc. Ševčík from the Prague Faculty of Architecture… At a certain moment, a connection between our synthesizing approach and the method of nomadic thinking defined by philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari emerged from the dialogue.

Good, let’s use your dialogue and try to embark into the world with a nomad leaving the campsite…
The nomad sets out on a journey that they outline at the beginning of their route. They traverse the open-air landscape and let it affect them – at the same time connecting it with their personal experience and certain conceptual basis. Whereupon this impact redirects their journey, thus creating a destination they are heading towards… And there, where they spread their carpet on the way, there is the outcome taking place.

How old will this carpet of yours actually be? More precisely, how old do you want to make the center?
Of course, we cannot hide that the center was created in the present. But we would like the object to evoke a certain timelessness. Perhaps it stands here for a long time; for someone, it could possess something of monumentality, akin to megalithic structures… And for someone, perhaps the thing will seem somewhat futuristic. It is a fact that the object seems to want to exhibit certain spherical shaping, without relying on historical canons.

And for you personally? What should the configuration favor?
Perhaps that it’s some strange excavation made by another civilization…

Thank you for the interview.
Jiří Horský

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From the competition brief
The Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, southeast of Abu Dhabi, was declared a protected area in 1998. It spans five square kilometers and is home to 260 species of birds and other animal species, including shrimps, scorpions, and lizards. Every autumn, about 4,000 flamingos arrive here to nest and spend the colder months of the year, raising their young.
The protection of this unique site is the responsibility of the Environmental Agency (EAD) in Abu Dhabi. Under its leadership, trees have been planted in the reserve that form a natural protective barrier around the reserve. The EAD also regulates the amount of water that flows into the wetlands from a nearby wastewater treatment plant.
Following the success of the architectural competition for the Observation Tower for flamingos, the EAD decided to collaborate with the Bee Breeders to organize a second architectural competition in the reserve, this time for a visitor center. The EAD is now considering the winning proposals for implementation.
Competitors were tasked with developing a design for a new visitor center that harmonizes with the unique nature of the Al Wathba Reserve. The visitor center will be equipped with an information desk, café, viewing terrace, souvenir shop, exhibition space, educational center, restrooms, and parking.
The jury selected proposals based on their sustainability and feasibility. Moreover, they positively evaluated proposals that take into account the fragile ecosystem of the reserve. The visitor center should be sensitive to the context of the surrounding nature and simultaneously become an iconic architectural landmark.

The winning proposal "See and Not Be Seen"
Jury's evaluation:
The jury agreed that "The concept of the design titled 'See and Not Be Seen' is exceptional. The proposed object seems more a part of the surrounding nature than merely a building." The project is iconic in a subtle way and blends in with the surroundings. The movement of visitors through the building is cleverly guided along interlinked loops that fulfill the sense of the chosen spatial concept. The project is structurally very complex, could also be relatively expensive and complicated to implement, however, the design fully compensates for this with its originality.