Jan Vodňanský Elementary School

The new elementary school building in Holešovice offers spaces for modern forms of teaching. The central atrium and clusters of classrooms allow for various types of use during lessons and breaks. Variability and clarity are the defining themes. The building of the new primary school enters the blocks of Holešovice with a clearly legible volume. It becomes an urban landmark, bringing the public space into its ground floor. The compact form enables the illumination of the interiors and guarantees economy of investment and operation. Shared spaces around a central atrium with a residential staircase allow for community interaction within the school and various forms of learning and recreation. The first grades have an outdoor garden. A gymnasium and outdoor playground are located on the roof of the school overlooking the river.

The jury highlighted the excellent urban design supported by a concise and quality architecture. The school building is well and functionally connected to its surroundings, with well-designed entrances for different age groups and barrier-free access made possible by working with the surrounding terrain. The compact volume allows for future development in the area, whatever that may be, and the project itself will not be affected. The compact volume also brings economic efficiency as well as spatial efficiency - the building is economical in relation to the site and so the design offers a quality space directly on the ground adjacent to the dining room and daycare. Another great aspect of this design is that the school itself is only two floors. The exception of having the first graders on the ground floor is a clever way to carefully and slowly integrate them into the school system. The jury found the proposed structure to be simple, efficient and realistic. The layout overall and at cluster level offers variability and flexibility of use. The jury also appreciated the well-chosen size of the atrium with good connections to the ground floor, where the "un-purposed" space creates ample potential for multiple uses.

A new elementary school will be created on an abandoned site on Jankovcova Street, which calls for a representative public investment adequate to its importance and for bringing new life to this vacant area. We propose a compact building referring to the rational structures‘ poetics of the receding industrial architecture of Holešovice. A contemporary house with an elementary structure and a human scale which is not ostentatious. The ground floor and the roof, which serve the public when not teaching, connect the school socially with the city. The interior is linked to the surroundings through roof terraces that face the future park. The campus forms a welcoming ensemble that will contribute to the community life of Prague 7 with the prospect of economical operations.

One of the main benefits of the design, according to the jury, is the overall design of the ground floor, as the orientation of the dining hall and auditorium to the northeast and the opening to Přádelní Street allows the full potential of this public space to be exploited. The proposal is based on a clear order that allows for further elaboration and would allow for changes. The jury also commends the chosen loggia/gallery concept which works reasonably well everywhere. There are good logical connections in the proposal, for example, the well-designed separate access to the gymnasiums. The whole of the sports facilities is another strength of the proposal, with the only issue being the allocation of more space for changing rooms. One of the biggest threats, in the opinion of the jury, lies in the more costly operation of the building resulting from the relatively large built-up volume.

The design of a new primary school in Holešovice offers a pleasant environment for pupils, parents, teachers and other staff. The proposed spaces are not only for education of the pupils, but also to inspire and encourage creativity. A great emphasis is placed on children's activities outside their own education, where they learn mainly social skills. The spaces outside the classrooms offer a very wide range of public, semi-public and intimate places, both indoors and outdoors. The building is deliberately as low and horizontal as possible and has a calm and solid feel. There are open exterior areas at opposite corners of the building. The southeast open corner at the corner of Jankovcova and Přádelní Street welcomes pupils with "open arms". A generous vertical circulation "way up" winds through the entire building with the character of a theatre space with galleries. It is the main landmark of the building.

In this proposal, the jury appreciates the authors’ decision to create a new “square” for their neighborhood - there is an easily accessible piazzetta in front of the building. This school is designed as a hub for the community. However, the southern edge of the piazzetta, used for administration offices, is worthy of reworking in this regard. The staircase as the core of the building is well conceived in the opinion of the jury and could actually work. However, it does create some disadvantages, such as too small common areas. The structure is a very simple and inexpensive solution. However, in the opinion of the jury, the layout is more of a corridor system than a cluster system, which only uses the cloakroom bays. The window leading from the atrium to the west presents certain complications, one of which is the difficulty of accessing the roof.

A significant part of our lives is spent in an elementary school building. It is a space that children come to every day. Inevitably, it will become an integral part of them. With our approach to the design, we understand school to be a place that not only ensures the absorption of information and homework fulfillment, but also to be a place that helps define us as the people we want to be. The elementary school building we design is spatially diverse, open to its surroundings and confident in its architectural form. We cannot deny that an unforgettable multi-layered work of Mr. Vodňanský permeated the design. His song lyrics, books and other pieces of work accompanied our childhood – and will accomapny the childhood of our children.

The authors have presented a generous project with great ambitions and an attempt to create a significant iconic building. The shape of the façade to Přádelní Street expands the space, creating more room for public spaces. The simplification that took place between the first and second rounds helped the project immensely, especially on the ground floor. However, the jury observes that not much care has been given to the urban context. The concept is almost a "sculpture in the park", but here it exists without sufficient space around it. The design does not take into account the future development in the vicinity, or its uncertainty, and defines the surroundings with finality. Such an expensive building is questionable in this case of a confined site. The quality of the design lies in its layout - experimenting with slight change in many aspects, but where one problem is the lack of separation between younger and older children; the layout of the classrooms does not allow the first graders the intimacy they need. The heating and cooling solution seems overly complicated given its integration into the double floor.

Šedesát procent dětí připravujeme na ještě neexistující povolání. Škola by proto měla být živou veřejnou institucí. V našem pojetí do ulice otevřený městský blok s učebnami orientovanými na sever do parku a nárožím představujícím pomyslný „inkubátor“ s kreativní střešní zahradou sloužící k demonstraci udržitelného přístupu samotného objektu. Místo pro setkání, hledání souvislostí, aplikaci poznatků i nových postupů. Školní dvůr supluje v kompaktním městě střešní krajina s hřištěm a zahradami orientovanými k jihu.

Budova působí klidně a představuje příjemnou instituci. Autoři zvolili jednoduché technické řešení bez slepých míst, která by v budoucnu mohla překvapit. Přesto se budova zdá porotě sama o sobě poměrně nákladná. Prostorová velkorysost dala vzniknout velkému objemu, který by se zřejmě musel redukovat, aby mohla být škola postavena. Kvalita interiéru v přízemí je vysoká a slibuje, že se v něm budeme cítit dobře. Různé skupiny uživatelů mají své samostatné vchody. Naproti tomu uspořádání horních pater s třídami je dle názoru poroty poněkud konzervativní. Rozložení hmot působí dobře při pohledu z ulice Jankovcova, ale z ostatních pohledů, hlavně zezadu, už tak dobře ne. Budova kulminuje v severozápadním nároží, což výrazně omezuje budoucí rozvoj městského bloku. Navíc maximální využití pozemku sice vede k nižší výšce budovy, ale nenabízí žádný volný přízemní prostor.

A new center is being built in the heart of Prague 7. Between trees, along a small park, the new JAN VODŇANSKÝ elementary school rises like a hill from the flat landscape. Open, friendly, and full of life it stands there! On all levels of the building, inside and outside, it offers the children a place to learn and to play. The outdoor classes on the roof, the sports areas and spacious terraces reflect the life inside the school and enliven the surroundings. All are welcome! It is not only a place of community for the children of the school but also for the children and residents of the neighborhood. In terms of urban planning, the building with its terraces, sports and green areas plays a special role in its neighborhood and is intended to form a new center for education and community.

The authors have already presented a very strong concept in the first round. The school building here does not aim to be a distinctive public element, but focuses on its overall playfulness and has a welcoming feel - the presented image of the school is “a building for children”. The ease of public access is one of the great strengths of the design. The jury also appreciates the very well thought out and accessible roofs which create a good counterbalance to the small site. There is a variety of good quality spaces in the design that are in close contact with the classrooms and a very good distribution of classrooms. The separate use of the ground floor and gymnasium - representing the two main public elements of the school – is also well designed. However, the overall architectural expression fell short of the jury's expectations. The jury also points to the use of a potentially valuable and attractive part of the ground floor for the kitchen. This edge of the building is treated as a rear façade and the design here falls short of its concept. The maintenance and upkeep of the building would, in the opinion of the jury, prove very costly.