This extreme-light-infrastructure (ELI) facility was won as an international architectural and engineering competition. The building will house the required infrastructure for scientific research in the field of laser development, dedicated to the investigation and applications of laser-matter interaction at the highest intensity level (more than six times higher than current levels of laser intensity). The over-riding philosophy driving the scheme is to integrate what is a very large building into the sensitive ‘village’ surroundings of the site at Dolni Brezany, which is located south of Prague. The campus-style building has been developed in accordance with the design guidance of the laser’s required orientation, with the public facilities being located to the North adjacent to another new laser facility. The overall concept has been conceived to provide a ‘public face’ for the building whilst meeting all the various security issues required by the client.
A unifying element is the lightweight roof which floats over the constituent parts of the building. The motif for the canopy is the staggered louvres which evoke and reflect the essence of the laser – a subliminal reference to the ever-continuous nature of the laser explorations. These louvres are designed to shade the spaces below during the summer months whilst they allow the sun to penetrate and heat the atrium below during the winter months. The landscaping is inspired by the laser beam itself with its powerful and purposeful linear geometry generating an integrated concept of built space and landscaping.
