A Symbol of Modernist Efficiency A detailed CGI recreation capturing the unique workspace of Jan Antonín Baťa. This project revitalizes the technological marvel of the Zlín skyscraper, translating its atmosphere into a modern digital format.
Historical Context: Building No. 21 in Zlín, completed in 1938, was one of the tallest administrative buildings in Europe at the time. Its rarest feature is the director’s office, built directly inside an elevator cabin measuring 6 x 6 meters. It stands as one of the world’s first mobile workspaces of its kind.
Purpose & Efficiency: The office was designed for maximum management control and efficiency. Equipped with air conditioning, telephones, and a washbasin with running water, it allowed the director to move seamlessly between floors and communicate with employees directly at their workstations without interrupting his workflow.
Vision vs. Reality: Despite being a visionary technical solution, Jan Antonín Baťa rarely had the opportunity to use it in full operation. Following the outbreak of World War II, he went into exile, leaving the office as a symbol of the unrealized potential of Baťa’s modernism.
Project & Collaboration: This project was developed within the Industrial Design Studio at Tomas Bata University in Zlín. The objective was to faithfully reconstruct the interior, including the specific technological elements and bent tubular furniture that defined the aesthetics of the interwar era. While the base 3D model was a collaborative effort by my entire class, I was responsible for the lighting, texturing, and creating the final photorealistic visualizations.
