Last Stop: Mountain View
The Pustevny Gateway marks the entrance to the Pustevny Saddle, a highly frequented tourist attraction in the Czech Beskids. Due to the sharp increase in traffic, which has also led to conflicts with hikers, the local community is working on various projects to improve public transport. Studio Henkai Architekti was able to realise its concept Brána Pusteven this year, which solves the local situation with a clever infrastructure: the bus stop was moved down from the saddle. A turning point for public transport and a parking guidance system for private transport as well as a visitor centre were created at the new location.
What stands out is the aesthetic design with which the Czech studio realised what at first glance appears to be a rather profane logistical task. Henkai Architekti used traditional materials that blend into the landscape and emphasise the tranquil atmosphere: Situated on a stone plateau on a slope, the exterior façade of the main building impresses with wooden shingles. The house is a frame construction and has a roof made of laminated timber beams that form a pitched roof with a sloping ridge. The shingle façade references traditional local building techniques and the green roof with native mountain flora blends in with the surrounding grasslands. The sandstone paving and walls echo the stone of the regional mountains. Even the contemporary form of the building reflects the tranquil power of the location in the forest and is designed as an inviting refuge with a café and a terrace with a panoramic view. On the opposite side of the road, the architects in charge wanted to materialise the human presence in nature and spirituality in the form of a vertical bell tower. They also marked the entrance to a forest path with a portal.
The project stands out as an example of the municipality's commitment to improving public spaces and promoting public transport through well thought-out and high-quality architectural design. Completing the infrastructure with additional, novel bus stops on the way to the pass is an additional part of this task. Henkai Architekti, based in nearby Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, realised this in a playful way. Small wooden huts form cosy shelters; their grass roofs rise to a peak in one corner, similar to a mountain top. This provides a view of the planting, which usually remains hidden from the human eye. "We try to listen and change the space with buildings and things that are functional, logical, simply beautiful and buildable," is the studio's convincing goal.
