The project proposes a singular architectural gesture: a continuous, unified ring that encircles a forested courtyard—establishing a clear threshold to the Adršpach Rocks. This form organizes movement, frames nature, and enhances the visitor’s journey. Rather than scattering buildings across the site, the ring creates clarity, efficiency, and intimacy—offering an infrastructural framework that is both practical and poetic. At its core, the project is about balance: between architecture and landscape, between culture and nature, between the everyday and the extraordinary. By consolidating programs into three distinct clusters—Information and Welcome Center, Refreshment Pavilion with café and restaurant, and Cultural Pavilion with exhibition and multipurpose space—the ring allows for a legible visitor experience while enabling porous access and visual connection to the surrounding forest. While the form remains a closed loop, its density is thoughtfully reduced by preserving and extending select existing buildings to the south. This strategic integration allows the ring to serve as the public front-of-house, while the southern edge becomes a service-oriented spine—offering both operational efficiency and architectural coherence. The open, flexible strategy also anticipates future growth without compromising the integrity of the original gesture.

Massing

The massing is quiet yet powerful—a low-slung, continuous roof following the natural topography as it wraps around a central grove. The building becomes landscape, emerging and receding as one moves around it. The loop gently steps down 6 meters from the north arrival point to the southern edge, generating a dynamic sectional rhythm without disrupting the forest floor. This form enables a thoughtful distribution of program into three major clusters: the Information & Welcome Centernear the main entry, the Refreshment Pavilion at the southwest corner offering food and rest, and the Cultural Pavilion to the east, hosting exhibitions and multipurpose events. These three volumes anchor the loop like "pearls on a string," each distinct yet held together by a shared language of roof, material, and threshold. By minimizing mass and concentrating presence, the architecture frames the experience rather than overwhelms it—inviting visitors to dwell, observe, and orient themselves through shifting scales and textures.

Landscape

The landscape is conceived as both destination and device—an immersive environment that supports ecological restoration, visitor engagement, and contemplative moments. The existing trees within the loop are preserved as the heart of the courtyard, forming a micro-forest that anchors the architecture and evolves with the seasons. To the southwest, a terraced landscape of soft lawns, native shrubs, and play elements defines a zone for gathering, leisure, and family use. Planting emphasizes native and adaptive species to support biodiversity, seasonal interest, and natural water management. Stone paths, mulch trails, and permeable paving articulate a clear hierarchy of movement, ranging from durable primary routes to soft woodland paths for slower exploration. The courtyard becomes more than a void—it is a space of memory and transformation, always changing, always central.

Urban Design

The proposal reconfigures the site with surgical clarity. The ring’s footprint remains compact and respectful, carefully avoiding the railway protection zone and reducing disruption to the sensitive natural site. A north–south pedestrian spine now connects the reorganized northern parking lot across the road to the project’s main entry court. A dedicated pedestrian and cycle route ensures safety, comfort, and intuitive arrival. To the south, the preserved TSA yard and other existing structures are reimagined as service infrastructure—now woven into the masterplan as an operational backbone that supports the loop. This dual-fronted system allows public experience and logistical flow to coexist without conflict.