The Máminka lookout tower stands in a clearing atop the peak of Krušná hora, on the site of a former military triangulation point. The construction was initiated by Radek Olič, who wanted to commemorate his parents. First, he planted an alley of trees just outside the village and called it Tátovka (táta – dad) and then decided to build a tower called Máminka in honour of his mother (máma – mum).
When we were thinking about Máminka, Martin Rajniš remembered his childhood and a particular triangulation point he enjoyed climbing up as a boy. That was the initial inspiration. The three-sided construction is beautiful in its simplicity and rationality. What attributes would we choose to best characterise Máminka? Natural beauty, natural materials, simplicity, and lightness.
In order to ensure that the lookout tower survives for a long time, we used deep-stained round larch logs, covering all the horizontal portions with sheet metal. The logs are connected by parts made from hot-tip galvanised steel. Inside this structure hangs the slim cylinder with the spiral oak staircase. The top of the tower ends in a flagpole that carries a weather vane – a symbol of our structures, particularly lookout towers. It signals the direction of the wind, it is reliable and precise but also elemental.
Lookout towers contain a magic that we find utterly comprehensible: they usually stand atop beautiful, elevated places, giving them a majestic character. It is then up to us, architects, to give them a second wave of energy. Designing these towers is beautiful work and we revel in it.
Team:
Architecture Office: HAMR Huť Architektury Martin Rajniš
Architects: Martin Rajnis, David Kubík, Tomas Kosnar, Martin Kloda
Photographers: Ales Jungmann, Petr Králík
