Green agora – columns for Jabloneček

The valley called Jabloneček is a naturally, geologically and historically valuable area in the middle of the cool deciduous forests of Ralsko in north Bohemia, Czech Republic. People have lived here for centuries, farming the adjacent fields, meadows, orchards and pastures. It was not until the adversity of the 20th century that the picturesque valley of Jabloneček turned into a mysterious and forgotten place. After the abolition of the military convoy, the land of the defunct village of Jablonec, as the only one of seventeen in this locality, was designated for recreational purposes in the land-use plan.

The land art installation of the Green Agora columns is a symbol of the restoration of the cultural landscape, which is being reopened to the people. At the point where the road to the valley ends and the pedestrian and cycle paths continue, an attractive space for social gatherings has been created, complemented by a large circular installation made of building relics that serves as a fireplace.

The revived valley

The valley’s renewal was initiated by Serge Borenstein, who had been searching for the right concept for more than ten years. “I have made countless trips to the Jabloneček Valley and each time it has been a transformative experience,” he recalls. “It was clear to me that we didn’t want to exploit nature here, but to become part of it.” The result of a series of workshops, to which he invited the best architects of today’s young generation, is the design of a luxury boutique resort that builds on a symbiosis of cutting-edge modern architecture and nature. The revitalisation of the valley began by restoring the values of the local landscape. This is where the charm of the future resort’s architecture is drawn from.

The unifying element of the landscaping is respect for nature and the history of the place. “We are designing an idyllic and harmonious setting for the gradual re-population of this valley. In the backdrop of a picturesque romantic landscape, architecture will then be built that responds to the natural and cultural specificity of the valley,” says Jakub Finger of Atelier Partero, who is behind the design of not only the landscape installation, but the overall revitalisation of the local landscape associated with the future development project.

Restoration of the cultural landscape

The concept of landscaping is based on the unique character of the landscape, which includes natural, geological, technical, cultural, archaeological and historical monuments. The trigger for transformation is the mere clearing of a site. Cultivating the soil and restoring the environment for soil organisms, sowing flowery meadows, planting shrub borders and hedges and restoring an orchard of old fruit tree varieties are all part of the process. The landscape will be made accessible by restored and newly constructed paths and footpaths.

The residential landscape will be a synergy of natural looking planting, soft landscaping using natural materials complemented by land art features. The aim is to achieve a seamless transition of the cultural valley landscape into the wooded hills, which will not only enhance the appreciation of nature but also the restoration of biodiversity of flora and fauna at the boundary between the cultural landscape and the forest.

The Art of Initiation

The land art installation Green Agora is the first of the artistic and social events that cultivate and revive a forgotten place and direct attention to this wilderness near Prague, gradually turning into a garden of mental and physical well-being.
“It is a landscape activity through which a space is positively activated with the ability to arouse in people completely new feelings, interest and curiosity, and at the same time to relate to the history of the place. It creates a hopeful atmosphere, launching a new future,” explains the importance of Finger, who has already had positive experience with the activation potential of landscape installations from the Plato Gallery project in Ostrava.

The installation also foreshadows the further development of the valley. Atelier Partero designed the columns directly into the floor plan of the wooden building designed by Mjölk architects, a significant building of the entire resort that will literally bridge the valley.

Inspiration by nature

Columns of rich textures and colouring were created by 3D printing concrete at So Concrete. Taking inspiration from natural structures, a symbiotic combination of technology and natural forces is imprinted on the forms of the columns. The aesthetics of the columns are the result of parametric design, with all ornamentation having a functional justification as it is based on the natural conduction of static lines of force.
Díaz refers to the aesthetics of So Concrete technology as Digital Raw. He considers surfaces expressed in a raw, natural roughness as a new form of luxury, emphasizing beauty and natural integrity. “Simpler and purer forms privilege real qualities of life over surface glitter.” The coarseness of materials also responds to the demands of ecology, which is a core value of contemporary luxury in the architecture of the new Jabloneček.

Text: atelier Partero

Authors: Atelier Partero [Jakub Finger, landscape concept, concept of installation Green Agora]; So Concrete [Federico Díaz, curator of parametric design of columns]

Photo: BoysPlayNice Photography & Concept; info@boysplaynice.com, www.boysplaynice.com

50.6057000N, 14.8816000E