CHANGE OF THE CULTURAL HOUSE OF THE 20th CENTURY TO THE 21th CENTURY COMMUNITY CENTER

CTU in Prague - Faculty of Architecture

Project idea

The topic of the project is the reconstruction of the cultural house in Přibyslav. The work deals with the search for a rational approach to the historical heritage of the 20th century which is to preserve essential architectural elements and promote their harmony with modern architecture. The project makes a complete design approach, from urban design to the interior.

Project description

The quality of life in a locality is affected by many aspects, and how local people are linked to a particular place and their cohesion also play an important role. A certain degree of belonging to a place and the people who inhabit this place is a natural starting point for the activities of community centers.

However, for smaller towns in the Czech Republic, cultural houses built during the second half of the 20th century are still the only place that serves as the center of events focused on culture and art of various orientations. This situation also affected the town of Přibislav with its cultural house. The aim of the diploma thesis is to find a reasonable approach to the heritage of this period, which is often perceived controversially. This approach would have to consist of preserving the essential architectural and artistic elements and complementing it with modern architecture, which, however, does not overshadow existing history, but only creates contrast.

The Vysočina town of Přibyslav has 4,000 inhabitants, the way of living corresponds to rural development, where family houses predominate. The city lives a rich cultural and social life. There are dozens of associations and circles, as well as several cultural institutions.

Before starting to design, we wanted to get as much inspiration as possible from the spirit of the city and the people who inhabit it. We created a small questionnaire, which was published on the website of the cultural facility of the town of Přibyslav. We received a lot of answers and we can deduce from them that the citizens are really interested in their city and its cultural life.

The center of cultural life in Přibyslav is the cultural house opened in 1969. The author of the design is the architect Milan Šavlík. The House of Culture has a high potential not only for Přibyslav, but also for several smaller villages that belong to the region. However, from the current state, it has not fulfilled its functions for several decades, both in terms of operational and in terms of importance in the structure of the city.

The project proposes an adaptation of KD with an educational focus. In Přibyslav there are several schools and a branch of a leisure center, which offers a large number of extracurricular activities, but the supply is not enough to cover the demand. The aim is to satisfy citizens' interest in areas for out-of-school children's education, self-education and adult education.

In creating the concept of the project, I relied on a number of important principles for me, such as preserving the historic expression of the existing building, its adaptation to the current and better involvement in the urban structure. I would also like to describe the individual design process

The basic principle is to preserve the existing building as much as possible. New functions, supplemented by the expansion procedure, add an extension to the original house.

To shape the structure of the extension and adjust the scale of the surroundings, the undeveloped area of the plot was divided into a small grid of 3.5 x 3.5 meters. This raster defines the boundaries of the planned extensions: classrooms, dance and music rehearsal rooms and cafes. The small structure makes it possible to add new functions to the large Kd and to divide the large mass into smaller units.

The main building and the new volumes are connected by a covered space, which gives visitors the opportunity to move between the buildings "dry foot". The new materials to some extent imitate the existing house and repeat the angle of inclination of the roofs. An important aspect is also the balance and a clear line between the old and the new. Furthermore, I would like to describe in more detail the results of the application of the created concept.

As part of the urban design, the community center complex is connected to the Sokolovna and Přibyslav chateau complexes. These neighborhoods indicated the path along which the extension of the existing building should be carried out, and then the solution of the perterre. ¨
In the demolition phase, the house does not undergo critical changes. A number of partitions, a massive entrance staircase are being dismantled, and it was also proposed to replace the original glass façade.

After the demolition phase on the 1st floor, a foyer emerges, which also serves as an exhibition space. The hall will retain its original elevation and a characteristic feature - a balcony. At the 1st floor level, new designed music and tennis rehearsal rooms are being built, which are connected to the main building and have a direct communication with the stage. This is how the library and café will appear, to which the terraces will be connected, they are places of rest and self-education.

Educational activities are performed by classrooms and rehearsal rooms. One of the important aspects is the multifunctionality of the added spaces. Classes measuring 7 x 7 meters allow a variable arrangement of furniture for different activities and numbers of visitors, a pleasant interior and lots of lighting creates the atmosphere of the studio.

The project also tries to meet the current requirements of the community center staff. The area of the 2nd floor is functionally divided into an administrative part and an acting part with changing rooms.

The project offers an open space roof for easy communication between the various parts of the complex. The space can also be used as another place for various informal activities. For these purposes, a retractable roof on steel beams was chosen. Their location is subject to the selected raster. ETFE film was chosen as the covering material.

The design also includes a solution to the urban situation, which was often missing in 20-century projects. The center creates a new urban space. The ground floor opens to activities with all-day use. ¨

The outdoor public space is divided into two zones. The first part consists of residential terraces. The terraces include stairs and ramps, leading in two directions: to the castle and to the sports complex. The second part includes a cafe with a covered terrace. The terrace serves as an open stage where various events can take place, from film screenings to theater performances. In this way, the new public space of the city is created.

The choice of materials and colors is based on the goal of emphasizing the contrast between the original building and the new volumes and making the whole space more welcoming. Designed large-area exterior graphics made on the plaster of the side wall of the original building.

In the proposal, I did not want to give priority to the past or the present, but to find a relationship between these times. I tried to adapt the cultural house, preserve traces of history and at the same time offer an environment that can be effective, modern and suitable for the modern lifestyle of the inhabitants of Přibyslav.

Technical information

SITUATION AND TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS

The existing road remains to serve as the main access road for the community center. The supply is made in the back of the plot isolated from the public space.Due to the fact that the majority of residents live within walking distance, it was decided to divide the required number of parking spaces into the cultural center and the existing parking lot at the castle.

Outdoor public space is divided into two zones. The first part includes a cafe with a covered terrace. The terrace serves as an open stage where various events can take place, from film screenings to theater performances. The second part of the ground floor consists of residential terraces. The terraces include stairs and ramps, leading in two directions: to the castle and to the sports complex.

RETAINING ROOF

The project proposes to cover the space between the existing and new parts of the community center. Visitors and workers will thus be able to move between the individual operations of the "dry foot" complex. In addition, in good weather, the space can be used as another place for various informal activities. It is also possible to use the covered part of the terrace adjacent to the café.

For these purposes, a retractable roof on steel beams was chosen. Their location is subject to the selected grid of 3.5 x 3.5 m. ETFE foil was chosen as the covering material, which, thanks to its lightness, allows for a more subtle supporting structure than, for example, glass.

It is a material with high useful properties, especially strength and durability. Compared to glass, it has only 1% of its weight, transmits more light (up to 95%), and even the healthy component A of ultraviolet radiation. Installation of ETFE foil is up to 70% cheaper due to savings on the supporting structure. It is more flexible and much tougher than glass, thanks to the non-stick surface it also has a self-cleaning ability and is recyclable. From a fire point of view, an important feature is that no burning particles fall off and at more than 270 ° C the material practically sublimes.

Documentation

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