捷克国家林业办公室总部大楼设计丨CHYBIK+KRISTOF

CHYBIK+KRISTOF debuts mass timber design for Czech National Forestry office

CHYBIK+KRISTOF

has debuted a new mass timber design for the headquarters of the Czech Republic’s National Forestry office.

The 12,000-square-meter (around 130,000 square feet) design is marketed to be the future largest wood structure in the region and will serve as a blueprint for the use of low-carbon materials in construction.

The ‘Forestry in the Forest’ concept stages the design, which is located outside the city of Hradec Kralove, to embrace the woodlands surrounding its site, reaching outward to the tree line with five decoupled volumes containing the National Forestry’s respective departments connected by a central main hall.

Offices are distributed surrounding deeper interior communal spaces to establish a dynamic "learning landscape." Outside, landscape courtyards provide additional space for workers in between each wing. Overall, this will be a very eco-friendly design that leverages passive design techniques while promoting the long-term growth of the Czech timber industry, which is Europe's sixth-largest exporter according to most measures.

Walls are constructed in a two-by-four system, with ceilings, horizontal slabs, built-in subcentres, and railings made from CLT panels. Glulam trusses were used for the large-span structures, and rubber floors, a smart lighting system, and a stormwater-retaining roof all contribute to its credentials as sustainable architecture.

In addition to being a catalyst for favorable building regulation changes in the Czech Republic, the project evinces a "Lesy sobě" (or "Forests to yourself") ethos.

CH+K is also contributing to the country’s architecture scene with the forthcoming 771-foot

Ostrava Tower

(the country’s tallest) for 2027 and a

recently completed Brno greenhouse

dedicated to 19th-century scientific hero Gregor Mendel.