The National Park of the mountains of Krkonose, in the Czech Republic, is one of the most valuable natural zones in all of Central Europe, harboring, as it does, an exceptional mosaic of ecosystems that have managed to come down to our days as a testimony of a very remote Ice Age. The building is integrated, practically camouflaged, in its natural environment, thanks in part to the way the faceted geometry of its reinforced concrete roof imitates the surrounding mountains. It also evokes the textures and brown tones of the forest through its roof planted with various species of sedum.

The heavy appearance – at once crystalline and botanical – of the building’s envelope takes on nuances the more the visitor approaches the site. The volume at first gives the impression of being completely hermetic and nestled close to the ground, but it gradually turns out to be perforated by several completely glazed cracks that give views, from outside, of the quality of the interior spaces, besides being instrumental in giving these spaces adequate lighting. Simple finishes predominate in these interiors: in the ceilings, the rough concrete of the folds that form the underside of the roof; in the walls, wrinkled plaster or wooden panels with pronounced veins; in the floors, black-painted paving or boards in very light tones.