Bunker V37

Add To Collection

Bunker V37

Firm

Lasovsky Johansson Architects

Type

Educational › Other

STATUS

Concept

SIZE

0 sqft - 1000 sqft

BUDGET

Unknown

Photos

STUDIO-SANG (10)

BUNKER V37

Bunker V37 is a project that presents a transformation of old military bunkers built on the former territory of Czechoslovakia before WWII. Around 10 000 fortresses of the so called “Řopík” bunkers were built in a network along the borders of Czechoslovakia. Today most of them are unused and run down, being abandoned for decades they are overgrown or clogged with trash and mud.

This proposal transforms the typical lightweight bunker called Řopík, which has its characteristic soft shape with rounded corners and two “ears” that functioned as barriers against entering the bunker. The bunkers are merged into the surrounding landscape and are found along the borders of Czech and Slovakia in various natural surroundings as mountains, rivers, lakes and fields.

How can we rethink a new use of these bunkers? Today, the bunkers are placed in the landscape as concrete artefacts that no one knows what to do with. This proposal aims to propose a new use to these bunkers. To show an example both in the smaller scale of how a single bunker can be transformed into a usable living space, but also in the larger scale to create regional or national hiking routes by connecting the bunkers with tracks and transforming some of the bunkers to overnight cabins, mountain huts, information points, activity and meeting places etc.

The Řopík bunker is made of high-quality reinforced concrete with few openings. With a total construction area of 25 m2 the available inside floor area is only 8,5 m2, with exterior concrete walls up to 1,2 m thick. Due to its limited space and lack of daylight it is difficult to use the bunkers for anything else than military purposes in its original form. This proposal, contrary to making a new addition to the exterior of the bunker, explores the idea of keeping the bunkers form and integrity. The transformation lies in cutting the bunker horizontally and lifting the upper part to enlarge the interior space and to ensure daylight entering the space. Lifting the bunker will reveal the interesting shape of the floor plan and increase the usable area to up to 24 m2 by creating a continuous bench from the thick concrete walls. The void from lifting the top part will be covered with glass allowing panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. By lifting the upper half of the bunker, the ceiling height will be increased and there are also possibilities to create a sleeping loft or extra storage. The main supporting element of the bunker is a continuation of the original structure where the central load-bearing walls are supporting the top part of the bunker.

The aim of this study is to draw attention to the unused potential of these bunkers by proposing a transformation and future use while preserving the bunkers' interesting form. By connecting bunkers through a path an educational trail with a historical overlap is created, a nation-wide hiking track going through the beautiful surroundings of the Czech countryside.

This project was supported by the Danish Arts Foundation, www.kunst.dk
Visualizations by STUDIO-SANG https://studio-sang.com
The proposal and all graphical content is owned and produced by Lasovsky Johansson Architects https://www.lasovskyjohansson.com

Product Spec Sheet

Were your products used?

Join as a manufacturer to add your products.

Collaborating Firms

Was your firm involved? Add it now.

Team

Juráš Lasovský

Architect

Hanna Johansson

Architect

Were you involved? Add yourself.

Keep Exploring Architizer by Creating a Free Account or Logging in.

Bunker V37

Bunker V37

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team