Art Gallery

CTU in Prague - Faculty of Civil Engineering

Project idea

The aim of the project was to design an art gallery on Dvořák's embankment in Prague. The floor plan is inspired by the golden ratio, which is considered in art to be an ideal proportion between different lengths. The mass of the building then continues to spiral towards the Vltava river on the north side.
On the waterfront where I design the gallery there are only heavy and massive rectangular masses of the surrounding buildings and a monastery with an enclosed garden. I wanted the architectural shape and design of the gallery to lighten this fleshiness with the asymmetrical shape, curved curves and elegance of the design. I connected the outdoor spaces of the gallery with the garden of the adjoining monastery, which highlights the exclusivity of the art gallery a bit more.
The gallery is supposed to be the main landmark of the waterfront silhouette.

Project description

The gallery has 4 floors above ground and 2 underground floors. On the 2nd underground floor there is a parking lot with 50 parking spaces for visitors, warehouses and technical rooms. The entrance to the garage is led from the embankment with a tunnel to level 1. underground floor. There is a parking lot with 15 parking spaces for visitors and 5 reserved spaces for gallery staff. The supply is led to the 1. underground floor from Kozí street, which is in modified in the proposal so that lorries can pass there. In the 1. underground floor there is a supply yard, warehouse for restaurant, gallery warehouse, restoration workshops, facilities for gallery employees, air conditioning engine room and waste room. From this room is waste exported by a hydraulic lift outside the building hidden in the sidewalk.
The main entrance is situated on the north side of the building to the 1st floor. Here there is an entrance hall, ticket sales, changing rooms and sanitary facilities for visitors, facilities for employees, an exhibition hall and a shop with souvenirs. From the 1st floor it is also possible to walk to the outdoor semi-private parterre, where they can be operated outdoor exhibitions. The parterre is also accessible from the garden of the St. Agnes Monastery and from U Milosrdných Street. On the 2nd floor are offices and gallery management, a multifunctional hall and a lecture hall, which can be joined together by moving the dividing wall. There is also the background of the halls and the main exhibition hall with the smallest clear height of 5 m. On the 3rd floor there is a luxury restaurant, rentable two-storey hall and studio, which can be divided by a dividing wall into two rooms. 4th floor is included to rentable two-storey hall from 3nd floor connected by a staircase.
The main vertical comunication is a staircase with two elevators, which can also serve as a freight elevators and they are located in the middle of a "spiral" layout. This communication connects the 2. underground floor to the 3.nd floor. Another vertical comunication used mainly to supply the gallery halls is located in the southern part of the building and also serves as a function escape staircase. On the south side of the building there are also smaller warehouses and a hydraulic elevator for transporting larger ones exhibition exhibits.

Technical information

The building is largely glazed with highly insulating triple glazing in a construction with acknowledged frames and has two main facade elements. The first are the shading elements on the northeast side of the object and the geometry of these elements is projected into the ceiling
on the 3rd and 4th floors. The elements are lined with a steel lattice structure with corten facade panels. The second element is facade, which covers parts of the glazed facade and it's made of composite plastic. Those parts of the facade of the building that do not require transparency are made of frosted glass, so as not to disturb the glass effect of the facade.
The construction system of the building is combined with reinforced concrete columns and with reinforced concrete walls. The building is based on piles because there is unconsolidated soil here. The roof of the building consists of a spatial truss.

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