The Railway Administration in the Czech Republic recently held a competition for students from two universities to design new wooden shelters for railway platforms. The competition was open to teams of three students from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague and the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Czech Technical University. The students were tasked with creating innovative designs that could be constructed using locally sourced timber, a sustainable and eco-friendly material.

Six teams of students submitted their designs, and a panel of judges evaluated the entries based on originality, complexity of the implementation solution, and other factors such as transparency on the platform, ease of maintenance, and resistance to vandalism. The winning design, submitted by Alexandra Horáčková, Michaela Andrlová, and Jan Rous, was chosen for its innovative architectural design and ability to meet the client’s requirements.

The Railway Administration plans to implement two of the winning designs over the next few months. The first shelter will be built in Karlovy Vary, and the second will be constructed in the Vysočina region near the Sázava River. The winning team was also awarded a three-month professional internship at the Railway Administration, during which they will prepare technical documentation for the construction of the shelters.

Marcela Pernicová, Deputy Director-General of the Railway Administration for operability, praised the use of wood as a construction material for the shelters, noting that it is an eco-friendly option that is well-suited to the railway environment. The wooden shelters will not only provide passengers with a place to wait for their trains but also help to enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of railway platforms.

The use of wood as a construction material has been growing in popularity in recent years, particularly in the construction of public buildings and other structures. Wood is a renewable resource that is easy to work with and has a low environmental impact compared to other materials like concrete and steel. Using wood in the construction of the railway shelters is a great example of how sustainable materials can be used to create innovative designs that benefit both the environment and society.

Overall, the competition for the design of new wooden shelters for railway platforms in the Czech Republic is a positive development that highlights the potential of sustainable materials in architecture and design. It also demonstrates the importance of collaboration between different sectors of society, such as universities and government agencies, to achieve common goals that benefit the public.

Article by Prague Forum