Lab for art

CTU in Prague - Faculty of Architecture

Project idea

The Art Lab uses three elements of the concept, namely the industrial history of city Ustí nad Labem, the industrial feel of the quarry and the unfinished Mariánský tunnel. The art space is designed as a clean space as a new laboratory, while the workshop and café space is connected by an exhibition tunnel that can be used to install works or just to divide space. Simple geometric elements further define the space, both with mobile transparent partitions and the furnishings of the café. The atmospheres change between the three spaces. The workshop as a pure utilitarian space. The exhibition space is variable in time and on the situation, the visitor‘s gaze is firmly guided by the definition of the space on the artworks. In the café, color appears, the space is more adapted to people and makes them want to spend their time here.

Project description

The existing garage building will be reconstructed into a sculptor‘s residence with a workshop, exhibition space, and a café. The existing two-part garage structure will remain largely unchanged, with a new gray roof structure added above the right-hand building. This will introduce natural light into the interior and create a second floor that serves as a gallery for easier object handling and houses an office. Below this gallery are storage spaces that can be covered, allowing the workshop to be used as an exhibition space. The workshop itself is divided into two sections that can be separated; the smaller section contains a kitchenette. The second original building houses a café, which is designed primarily for use during vernissages and events. It contains smaller, mobile furnishings, as well as high tables and leaning bars, which are particularly useful for social events as storage and for brief seating. Both buildings are connected by an exhibition space with pivoting windows. A tunnel is created here, which can be manipulated to alter the space and can also be closed to serve as a simple corridor. Arched partitions are also placed here to define the spaces for exhibits. The tunnel motif is also used in the exterior on the existing track, where it mimics train carriages and can be used to display outdoor exhibits.
The lighting is atmospheric, with each space using different parameters. The café primarily uses indirect lighting in the form of LED strips and smaller wall lights. The exhibition space has technical lighting such as a track on the ceiling, to which various lighting elements can be attached depending on the situation. In the workshop, suspended linear technical lighting will be used.

Technical information

Materials-wise, the interior is dominated by brushed stainless steel, which is used on exhibition elements, insulation panels in the workshop, and on the wall in the café. In the exhibition space, it is complemented by a thin stainless steel mesh used on arched panels. The contrast is provided by the green color in the café, which calms down the very utilitarian space. It is used on both lacquered metal elements, ceramic strips, recycled plastic, and terrazzo on furniture. Good acoustics in the space are achieved by Heraklit acoustic panels, which have different colors in the spaces.