On March 31st, 2023, an exhibition of designs for new wooden shelters at railway platforms was opened at the information center of the Railway Administration, presenting the results of a competition for students of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences of the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University, and the Railway Administration. Technical solutions for its implementation also accompanied the architectural design. Over the next few months, two of the winning designs will become part of the railway operation.
The competition specified wood as the construction material. This natural material was chosen as a suitable ecological option to use individual building elements processed from locally sourced timber during implementation.
“I am convinced that wood is an integral part of the railway, and its use has a place not only in the interiors of railway buildings but also on platforms, as demonstrated by students with their modern and innovative technical design and shelter designs for passengers,” said Marcela Pernicová, Deputy Director-General of the Railway Administration for operability, who also endorsed one of the awards.
Six three-member teams of students from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences of the Czech University of Life Sciences and the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University participated in the competition.
The professional jury selected the joint work of the team consisting of Alexandra Horáčková, Michaela Andrlová, and Jan Rous as the winning design. Its members evaluated the architectural design’s originality, the implementation solution’s complexity, and the fulfillment of other client conditions, including transparency on the platform, ease of maintenance, and resistance to possible vandalism.
The winning team was awarded the opportunity for a three-month professional internship at the Railway Administration, during which they will prepare technical documentation for their subsequent implementation at selected stops. The first shelter will be built in Karlovy Vary. The location in the Vysočina region near the Sázava River was chosen to implement the second award-winning design.