Cascade Column

For the DesignBlok 2026 Exhibition, Bodo Sperlein took over the Czech Modernist Pavilion to create a portfolio of Material and Collaboration inspired by and becoming a part of the Pavilion’s fluid, architectural language.

At the centre of the installation stood the bespoke architectural column created from Sperlein’s Cascade paving stones, a distinctive climate-stone material developed with Godelmann. Originally conceived as a paving system, Cascade was reinterpreted on an architectural scale, transforming a landscape material into a sculptural element inspired by Prague’s Cubist heritage.

The column took its inspiration from the famous Cubist lamppost on Jungmann Square, designed in 1912 by Czech architect Emil Králíček. Rather than reproducing the historic lamp, Sperlein translated its distinctive faceted architectural language into a contemporary material expression.

The connection to Czech manufacturing continues through Sperlein’s collaboration with Gravelli, part of the Godelmann Group, with a concrete furniture collection presented within the exhibition.