prague

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architect: jean nouvel. reenie (karin) elliott worked as an architect and urban designer
building type+location: an urban design proposal undertaken during pragues so called ‘velvet revolution’ aka ‘cultural awakening’; prague, czechoslovakia
invisible elements: ‘thin red line’ reveals:

1. a political boundary between city and countryside
2. an island or isolated terrain
3. topography of a low lying city with hillsides all around
4. the clichéd final scene in a cowboy film, where the hero looks over  his shoulder from the hilltop to the town below, dwelling on memories: the landscape supporting the narrative sequence of the film.
5. le corbusiers project for algiers – a colonial imposition or a city wall with an elevated prospect over the landscape below?
6. an allegorical coastline
7. a testament to the strange life of buildings such as the ‘hedgehog building’, which remained shrouded in scaffolding for 21 years.  it’s better known for its temporary scaffolding than for its permanent facades. nouvel describes it as ‘a sleeping beauty’.

client: prague city authorities