The largest mural in the Czech Republic was completed in the Cheb industrial park.

The largest large-scale painting (also known as mural art) in the Czech Republic has been completed on the façade of the distribution centre in the Panattoni Business Park Cheb industrial zone. Currently under construction, the building will feature a 6,200 square-metre mural depicting a relief of the historic square in Cheb. It was created by the artist Dmitrij Proškin, also known as ChemiS, based on a design by the architectural studio PROJEKTSTUDIO. David Kotek and Ing. arch. Lucie Parks.

The walls of the distribution centre being built for a global fashion retailer became the canvas for the Cheb mural art. The total area of this project exceeds a record-breaking 200,000 square metres. The main façade stretches 700 metres in length, and the mural reaches a height of 15 metres.

„The architecture of industrial buildings usually focuses on functionality and sustainability. However, in the case of the building with the largest leasable area in the Czech Republic, we took it a step further. Following extensive preparation, we developed a mural concept for the new building that goes beyond the industrial standard. At the same time, the artists succeeded in brilliantly connecting this ultra-modern building, which is packed with future technologies, with references to the past,“ said Pavel Sovička, Managing Director at Panattoni CZ&SK.

Meticulous planning and a challenging implementation

Ing. arch. Lucie Parks at PROJEKTSTUDIO explains: „It is very unusual in the Czech Republic for investors in logistics and industrial parks to consider the aesthetics of a given location. However, this project found an enlightened investor who wanted to do more than just build a fulfillment centre. We were delighted to be asked to create this unique design. We hope that it will inspire other projects of a similar nature. With our façade design, we wanted to celebrate the local community and pay tribute to the city, which has a beautiful historic centre.“

Work on the mural itself began last summer and, with breaks, took more than a year to complete. This is much longer than usual due to the painting's enormous size. Additionally, the work had to be adapted to the weather, as it was only possible to work in dry conditions to ensure quality. The situation was further complicated by ongoing construction work at the site. Eight different shades of spray paint were used in the painting. The ChemiS team carefully transferred the design to the façade by hand using spirit levels and rulers.

„In the first phase of the work, the façade is washed, measured and covered to prevent overspray in areas that must remain clean. The next step is to accurately transfer the design onto the surface. The saying 'measure twice, cut once' really applied here, because the substrate did not allow for any mistakes and any corrections would have been visible. Although the motif appears uniform, each building in the design is a different colour and height with its own specific characteristics, so everything had to be carefully planned,“ said Chemis, noted that a team of up to eight people was involved in the mural’s execution. The artist himself has dozens of murals around the world in his portfolio, but working on such a large mural was a first for him. „I was surprised by how challenging the entire process was, both in terms of coordination and technology. For instance, we had to devise a new technique to depict a long, unbroken line. During the work, we also had to use two types of platform because the standard ones did not reach the full height of the mural,“ added ChemiS.