Sipral has installed art relief on a Blanka Tunnel ventilation shaft
11 November 2019 – The Blanka tunnel complex opened to the public on 19 September 2015. It includes three monumental concrete cylinders that serve for heat and smoke evacuation during fires. The exhaust on Nad Královskou oborou Street in the Bubeneč district has recently gotten its final decorative finish thanks to a team of artists and architects from Federico Díaz Studio. The Sipral team has installed special concrete panels.
Federico Díaz Studio’s public tender winning concept is based on observation of the effects of natural forces and movement. Díaz originally presented his idea at his exhibition Eccentric Gravity at the Belvedere in Prague in 2015
The special cladding consists of 176 concrete panels with a relief texture, each measuring 2.35 x 1.30 meters and weighing more than one ton. The visual shaping of the surfaces draws inspiration from parabolic shapes and gravitational curves. Moreover, the Federico Díaz Studio combines modern technologies with traditional sculptural materials. A fully automatic robot modelled the final relief in a traditional sand form, into concrete which was then poured to create the panels.
The project also includes revitalisation of the adjacent neglected space, which should become a relaxation zone.
Federico Díaz is a Czech-Argentine artist who has exhibited his work in London, Tokyo, Florence, and Sacramento, California.
Photo © Dalibor Tichý
