Building 21 Mobile Office
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.
2023
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 visualization was created in collaboration with 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.
