MATERIAL RESEARCH AND SUSTAINABILITY

The work of the eminent Czech architect and teacher at FDA Prof. Ing. Arch. Zdeněk Fránek is a unique landmark towering over the spa town of Świeradów-Zdrój. It leads visitors to a height of 62 metres above the ground, from where it is possible to see the natural beauty of the border area. The Sky Walk is 64.8 metres high. A winding 799 m long walkway, wheelchair and pram accessible, climbs gently to the top of the viewpoint. The entire structure is made of steel, with only some of its elements clad in wood to imitate heavy timber beams. The viewpoint occupies a plot of 3,414 m². The path fascinates with its intertwining and refined disorder. Unlike other trails, there are no quizzes, photo points or carved animals waiting for you on the way up. Instead, the trail contains successful adrenaline-boosting extras such as a floor-to-floor rope tube, a flexible net and a glass viewing platform.

Author: Prof. Ing. Arch. Zdeněk Fránek
Implemented construction
Poland
2021

Prof. Zdeněk Fránek is a distinctive personality of Czech architecture, an implementor of award-winning green buildings, where he seeks his own forms, experiments with morphology and technologies. He has been working at the Faculty since 2019 as the Head of the Environmental Design for Architecture studio, where he directs his students to think more deeply about ecology in their work and to behave responsibly towards natural resources. He was named Architect of the Year in 2020. He is a researcher of the Horizon Europe project: Palimpsest at FDA, author of the study of the planned building of the joint research centre on the UWB campus and the author of numerous buildings constructed around the world.

The international project PALIMPSEST explores sustainable approaches to landscape and heritage through art, architecture, and design. It responds to today’s ecological challenges by envisioning new scenarios of coexistence between humans and nature, grounded in local cultural contexts.

The project focuses on rediscovering lost processes of interaction between natural dynamics and human activity. Through artistic and research interventions in pilot locations – Milan, Jerez, and Łódź – it brings together experts, artists, and local communities. It examines tensions between people and landscape and seeks ways to transform them toward sustainability.

The Faculty of Design and Art at the University of West Bohemia is represented by Prof. Zdeněk Fránek, Assoc. Prof. Jana Potiron, Kristina Zejkanová, and Jan Popelka. PALIMPSEST is part of an international consortium supported by the Horizon Europe programme.
Project implementation period: 2023–2026
Project coordinator: Politecnico Milano / Program: Horizon Europe

The Material Library at the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art offers a hands-on collection of traditional and innovative materials used in design. Since 2021, it has been accessible to students and visitors interested in the sensory perception and physical properties of materials, as well as their practical applications.
The library features over 600 physical samples sorted by material types – including wood, plastics, metals, concrete, glass, and sustainable or recycled alternatives. Through partnerships with industry leaders, the collection is continuously updated with new materials and eco-friendly innovations.

The project also includes the development of in-house educational tools such as a sound memory game ("material piano"), custom sample kits with descriptions and contacts for local suppliers, and tactile wooden games. These tools enhance hands-on learning and are used in classes, consultations across art disciplines, and presentations for visitors and international delegations.

Planeta Kampus is an interdisciplinary research project by students of the Environmental Design for Architecture Studio, exploring new relationships between humans and nature. The project unfolds in two layers – a fictional narrative set on the campus of the University of West Bohemia, where nature reclaims space beyond human order, and an experimental collaboration with mould in the creation of 3D artefacts.

It reflects a post-anthropocentric perspective, questioning human dominance and proposing new forms of subjectivity that emphasise interconnection within a complex ecosystem. The outcomes include a physical model, a computer game, digital objects, and a scholarly publication released in 2025. The project merges architecture, design, audiovisual and graphic disciplines within an original research framework.