Adaptation of the brutalist office block Merkuria from the 1970s into a multifunctional building

AVU

Project idea

Diploma thesis focuses on the adaptation of the administrative building of the Mercuria Foreign Trade Company from the 1970s. Often associated with the communist political regime of Czechoslovakia, this architecture typically evokes mainly negative feelings in a society. However, buildings from the Brutalist period in Prague fundamentally shape the image of the city and represent an important layer of architecture. Therefore, the hasty removal of these buildings and their replacement with new, often questionable architectural objects is gradually erasing the building culture of this period. In the same way, the Mercuria is to be demolished in the near future and replaced by a new administrative building. The thesis project seeks to breathe new life into a now obsolete but valuable building by changing its use into shared (cluster) housing, spaces for work, gathering and other public functions. The project highlights the possibilities of adapting a Brutalist building and changing its function for the requirements of today's society while preserving its architectural values.

Project description

Original and current state of Merkuria

The administrative building of the Foreign Trade Enterprise - Merkuria is located on Argentínská Street in Prague 7- Holešovice. The building was built in 1967-1971 according to the design of architects Vlastibor Klimeš, Eva Růžičková, Vratislav Růžička and Milan Vašek. It is an iconic building with a central composition - a communication core with four corner towers built in the aesthetics of Brutalism. Vertical communication was provided by a central staircase, two quick lifts and a paternoster. The mass figure of the building is completed by a light suspended façade with an austere articulation of surfaces by vertical elements.

Merkuria is located on the edge of the Holešovice block of flats and the Bubny-Zátory brownfield, which is awaiting large-scale construction in the near future and thus the transformation of the entire urban district. The removal of the Mercurio will deprive the area of a valuable building, and thus a testament to the Brutalist layer of architecture that would enhance the new development not only with its iconic expression, but also with its newly proposed communal living function. Merkuria is conveniently located in the wider city centre with excellent transport accessibility.

Proposal - Adaptation of Merkuria into shared housing, offices and public services

Urbanism
The proposal seeks to preserve the Mercuria as a strong, solitary building that significantly disrupts the urban fabric of the surrounding development. By adding and extending the two lower side towers, the Mercuria retains its mass composition of the central core with the side towers, while more clearly defining the surrounding urban space. The formerly neglected public spaces around the building, mostly used as parking areas, are cultivated in the project by increasing the proportion of green unpaved areas and by adding trees. By removing the single-storey part of the plinth, the Mercuria gains a forecourt-park, which serves the users of the Mercuria as well as the public. The originally raised parterre, ignoring the surrounding public space, is connected to the forecourt-park by the design of a residence staircase and terrace. The originally narrow alleyway V Zákoutí is thus newly expanded with the space of a green residential park.

Architecture
Despite the change of function, the building retains its original brutalist expression. The removal of the dark, enclosed, central core creates an open atrium at the heart of the building with a gallery from which individual lettable work spaces are accessible. Four new staircases serve both the office tower and the corner residential towers. The decentralisation of the vertical circulation creates a variation in the functional use of the building. The building can function as a proposed hybrid but also as an institution with a representative atrium or an apartment building with a residential gallery. The façade cladding is based on the original boletic panel, which is retained in the proposal, assuming its satisfactory condition, and insulated on the exterior and fitted with a new look layer of aluminium panels. The perimeter cladding opens locally to the exterior with French windows in place of the larger dwelling units. In contrast to the central tower with its aluminium windows, the residential towers have timber windows and are complemented by external shading and potted castellations. The façade cladding is enhanced by a subtle ''cracked façade'' décor based on the original façade panels, which were covered with foil during the reconstruction. This has cracked over time due to the effects of sunlight, creating an interesting map pattern on the façade.

Operation/Function - hybrid
The central tower retains the character of the workspace, while the side towers have been adapted for cluster/shared living through a change of layout. The parterre of the building is designed for public functions - restaurant, multifunctional hall, shop and fitness. The first floor houses a hostel. The upper part - the crown of the central tower is designed as a cowork center with a bar. Originally unused roof terraces are changed into green living spaces. The roof terraces of the higher side towers are connected to the cowork centre. The roofs of the lower side towers are dedicated to the residents of the building and provide space for sports and relaxation. On this floor there are facilities for the residents of the house - laundry, games room, yoga room, music room and sauna. In the basement there are technical facilities and parking accessed by an internal ramp from the street Malá Plynární. Merkuria is located in the wider centre of Prague and thanks to its excellent transport accessibility, dynamically developing area and a wide range of cultural facilities, it is a suitable location for affordable shared living.

Technical information

The project retains the load-bearing precast concrete frame, which is removed in the central part of the building together with the monolithic staircase and lift tower. The addition of four monolithic communication cores makes the structure spatially stiffened. The two side towers are extended by one structural bay of the skeleton. By cladding and insulating the exterior, the façade cladding meets the thermal-energy requirements, thus significantly reducing the energy consumption of the building. The windows are equipped with exterior textile roller shutters. Heating is solved by floor distribution. The building is equipped with forced ventilation, which ensures constant air exchange. Rainwater from the roof gardens is collected in retention tanks and subsequently reused for watering.

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