CTU Student centre and canteen

CTU in Prague - Faculty of Architecture

Project idea

The task of the project was to replace the existing building of "Red" canteen in Campus Dejvice, that does no longer fulfill the needs of its users. The proposed student centre is a new gathering point, a place with great food and a centre of the student life. It is alive not only during lunch time, as it works currently, but it is actively used all day and night and creates the vibrant centre of Campus Dejvice. Student centre works as a student micro-world with all facilities needed. The new dining hall serves to students as well as to inhabitants of the entire neighbourhood.

Project description

Project of the new student centre is focused on bringing new energy to the existing place and enriching it with the new function. Following the foreign examples of the university campuses, we centralise student housing, services supporting the student´severy day life and canteen for entire campus at one place. Tha aim was also to provide better level of accommodation which is currently unsufficent in Czech republic in general. We work with the idea of enclosed courtyard with various entrances from the street level. Within the courtyard is situated the new university canteen which is partly blend-in into perimeter block of student housing. At the street level is located the university visitors centre, small shops, printing service, and students clubs. So thay can be reached easily directly from the streets. Students accommodation uses the wide exterior corridor as a element for socializing of the student community and its social life. Also from there you can see what is happening in the courtyard and be a part of its independent life. Living units are solved as a small flats with commnon kitchen and living room where every one of the tenants has his own private room. The living area of each flat is connected with the exterior corridor.

Technical information

Entire building is divided into the five parts - four wings of the building block and the soliter volume of the university canteen inside the courtyard. Each wing has its own entrance with the supporting spaces such as bike storage room, machinery rooms ect. Under the entire building is located the parking lot for tenants and for the universtiy employe.
As the main material is used exposed concrete in combination with cement fibre pannels. Univesrity canteen is cladd with the corrugated copper pannels. The building is based on the modular grid so it can accommodate various functions over its lifecycle.
All surfaces are rather simple and neutral to provide the adeqate backround to the rich student life. We also take into an account that the concrete surfaces will be later covered with graffitti and other expresions of youths. That will add the desired liveable details to the building in the new layer.

Co-authors

Alexandra Hoffmannová