Věžový bytový dům s vodojemem Apartment house

Welcome to the part of town known as Nová Ulice. You're standing in front of a building that at first sight can act as a common, even very high apartment building, but if you look at it more closely and get carried away by the atmosphere of this place, you realize it's something much more extraordinary. This tower structure dominates the entire area and its presence here is not random at all. Feel the unusual force and stability this massive structure emits. It is a place where human living, our intimate spaces, is confronted with the enormous technical needs of the entire city. It is a combination of two worlds that at first glance might seem incompatible, but here they form one whole.

Let us now return together to the time when this part of the reconstruction of the F1 site began to take place. It's the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-three. At that time, it was built quickly, with great emphasis on functionality and on enabling new buildings to serve the growing population effectively. The main brain of this whole building was the architect Petr Brauner. His intention was not just to build another place for sleeping and the daily life of thousands of people, but to create a unique whole that will also serve as an important point of technical infrastructure. This building is not only a home for families, but it also serves as a huge reservoir for water, which is essential for living in this part of the city.

Now pay attention to what you see right in front of you. Look up to the very top of this tower. The height is really impressive, and it can give you a sense of mild unrest as you watch the building rise to the sky. It reaches 60 meters. In order for such a high and at the same time difficult construction to stand safely and not endanger anyone, it had to be built on very solid and deep foundations. These foundations go deep underground, up to a depth of 20 meters, which is an incredible engineering performance. This whole object is held together by a reinforced concrete skeleton we call a skeleton. It's like the skeleton of a living creature that carries all the weight of the building and ensures its stability even in the most difficult conditions. And right up there, in the highest part, is hiding the most important and fascinating. It's a balancing water. Imagine the incredible mass of water that's stored there. It has a capacity of 1,000 cubic meters. In order to keep these huge quantities of water in balance and to make the supply system work properly, the water system consists of two chambers that are inserted into each other.

Each such important building has its own life and its own difficult moments that leave traces in its history. This house, too, has been through events that have kept its inhabitants awake and left a permanent mark in their memory. The first serious problem occurred very soon after construction, in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-five. At that time, there was an unexpected glitch in the construction, which had very unpleasant consequences for the people who lived in the house, because the water started pouring in their apartments. This was the first clear signal that the connection of the residential part and the technical water tower is extremely difficult to keep in perfect condition and requires constant attention. Another difficult moment came much later, in the year two thousand and sixteen. When making repairs to the part of the closure on the water tower there was an unexpected water leak. This event was very devastating and hit about 20 apartments that flooded in a moment. These stories remind us of how fragile the balance between the human home and the enormous pressure of water that is stored at the top of the building can be.

You may be asking what's so really special about this building. It's the constant existence of two conflicting functions in one body. Imagine the weight of a thousand cubic meters of water that must be safely stored at the top of the tower so as not to endanger those who live directly below it. It's a constant, silent struggle with gravity and water pressure. That tower must be in perfect balance at any moment. It is a fascinating example of how human technology can use space up to height to combine housing needs with modern city technical requirements.

I hope this view of the tower house in New Street has brought you a new perception of this place. You will see no more than an ordinary house, but a complex and fascinating machine for life and for the technical supply of the city. Continue to walk now and pay attention to other details of your surroundings. Thank you for your journey.