Culture center, Brandýs nad Labem, CZ

CTU in Prague - Faculty of Architecture

Project idea

Brandýs nad Labem is a small town near the capital city of Prague and although it has about 20,000 inhabitants, the city has no theater or cultural center. All proms and balls take place in the surrounding towns and the festive town ball takes place in the school gym. There is no permanent theater in the city, so all residents have to travel to larger cities and this kind of entertainment in the city has practically disappeared.
Therefore, my task was to design a new cultural house and at the same time I added a theater.

Project description

The cultural complex is located in the city center, a short walk from the castle garden. There are mainly historical buildings in the area and the development of family houses in the direction from the center. The area is divided into two parts. One is the apartment buildings on the south side and the other is the cultural house and theater on the north side by the river Elbe. The complex consists of 6 buildings.
     Apartment buildings are partly reconstructions of old grain warehouses and partly new buildings. Between them there is a flower garden with two garden pavilions for outdoor concerts or other social events. At the same time, the entrance to the castle garden is restored, so it is possible to enter this garden from the east, which was not possible before.
     All apartments are designed as low-cost and should serve as housing reserves of the city. There are several types of apartments in both buildings, from small for a two-member household to large for 4 to 5 people. There is also an apartment in the building on the east side for the administrator and gardener of the complex, who should keep the whole flower garden and the adjacent chateau garden running.The cultural part of the complex consists of a cultural house building and a theater building, which also has two dance halls, a clubhouse for the local art school and a restaurant on the ground floor, which is open to a large piazzetta between these buildings. Both buildings are connected by underground garages.
      The House of Culture is a building that, with its appearance and functioning, tries to present the city as well as possible. The large hall on the second floor has window openings to all corners of the world and after sunset presents itself as a majestic lighthouse above the river Elbe.
     The theater is lower than the cultural house and its main content takes place underground. It is a small theater hall for 130 seated people, which can also be used as a cinema hall. On the ground floor there is an entrance to the theater and also an entrance to the restaurant. Between these entrances is a large outdoor shed passing through the theater building. This staircase connects the lower and upper part of the complex.
      The whole area has the task of filling an empty space in the city center and at the same time not disturbing the surroundings. Therefore, the buildings are partly lined with wood and stone to fit well into the context of the castle and the castle garden.

Technical information

The whole building has a skeletal structure with load-bearing reinforced concrete columns and slabs. The only parts with a different construction solution are roofs, which are made as steel trusses covered with trapezoidal sheet metal.
      The partitions and perimeter walls are lined with brick fittings. The area of the piazzetta is lined with concrete tiles. The piazzetta also has two benches and a free fountain, which can be covered with a stage for outdoor performances if necessary.
      There are 5 air handling units in the technical background of the building, which ensure the flow of fresh air in the building. There are also two gas boilers for heating and, last but not least, a tank for the accumulation of rainwater, with which it is then possible to flush, water the garden and feed the fountain on the piazzetta.

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