This small, though prominent site directly overlooking the Prague’s Vltava River had been vacant since the destruction wrought by World War II. In the early 1990s, the Dutch developer Nationale-Nederlanden acquired the site to develop a world-class office building with retail space at ground level and a gourmet restaurant on the roof terrace.
Instead of seeking to mimic the site’s historic urban context, we aimed to reinterpret the traditional architectural typology of the city. Our building’s undulating windows continue the rhythm of the existing facades along the riverfront. The twin towers that mark our building's corner carry forward a dialogue with Prague’s older turrets and towers that we perceived all over the historic core of the city.
Using physical models, we developed the emerging form of the twin towers in search for a contemporary design solution, while conscious of the need to respect the historic context.
After many iterations, we finally arrived at a design solution with two towers - one shorter and more solid paired with another that was taller and more transparent. These two towers would engage each other formally, embracing one another like a sculpture by Brancusi.
Using the computer software CATIA (see ‘Design Process’ section), we developed a 3D digital model, which was then shared with the contractor - the Permasteelisa Group - to fabricate the structural support system for the taller, glass tower at their facility near Venice, Italy.
The curved steel beams were then shipped from Italy to Prague and assembled on site. Our computer modeling optimized the surface geometry of the glass tower so that its sensual shape could be achieved without using curved glass panels. The project was delivered on time and within the tight budget set by the client.
After the design was unveiled, the locals embraced the new architecture and began to refer to the towers as ‘Fred and Ginger’, after the Hollywood movie stars. The project demonstrated sensitivity in its ambition to respond to the historic context without succumbing to pastiche, and pioneered the use of a process of using digital technology to design and construct highly sculptural forms in an economically responsible way.
The projects in this section were designed and executed during my time at Gehry Partners LLP (the office). I am grateful to Mr. Gehry and the team at the office for their generosity and support over the years. All intellectual property rights of these projects continue to be owned by the office unless otherwise mentioned. The narrative texts on the projects are entirely personal, they do not represent the views or opinions of the office, its clients or any other third party or organization.