New Town Hall for Prague 7

Architectural expressions used for reconstruction of the building quote traditional architectural shapes and materials of quarter Holešovice. The house respects the historical city context and it honors its specifics, honors industrial aesthetics. Although the object is expressive, its expressiveness is achieved by humble way, by using of traditional motives of Holešovice. The original building is getting pure at the very skeleton of technical necessity - the loadbearing structure, which we consider as beautiful. Beauty of engineering works is in their authenticity and sincerity. That is, why we honor size of building modules, rhythm, structure. We used motives that make ordinary house, the house unordinary - the town hall.

Jury evaluation: In this design, the jury particularly appreciated the simplicity and clarity of expression that aptly fits a public building, and the justified use of a basic architectural vocabulary working with contrasts of light and shadow, materiality and lightness. At the same time, it also praises the approach to reconstruction, respecting the extant structural system and the context in which the building is situated. However, the jury does have reservations regarding the conception of the ceremonial hall, which could be more generous in its expression and thus correspond better to the overall architecture of the building. Though it is a technologically standard project, it allows space for further development in terms of energy sustainability. Allowing for future technologies is itself a condition of the realisation of the project, as well as the consideration of better integration of renewable energy sources into the building’s concept. Equally important will be the investigation of the current structure, the possibility of its greater exposure and coexistence with the necessary technical equipment of the building.

An open house for the 21st century, a friendly and transparent office that opens up to the public and provides space for cultural activities and community life. An energy-efficient house with intelligent management and low operating costs. A house that gives the city its most precious spaces - a relaxed ground floor, a glass street facade, a green courtyard and top floor spaces with terraces and views. A clear and generous interior - open client zones with lifts at the street facade, children's corners and conversation rooms in a more private area at the full facade with storage spaces. Offices along the south and west elevations.

Jury evaluation: Within this design, the jury specifically praised the boldness of the selected concept, which with respect for the original condition exposed and used the building’s current structure as the chief aesthetic element. Another strong visual motif could be the external shading of the building, yet this was not sufficiently explicitly described or depicted in the design. In a future phase of development of this study, it will be necessary to concentrate on this motif, as well as on an adequate entrance to the building with a vestibule area. Certain doubts, particularly in the presentation of the interiors, were sparked by the question of the aesthetic quality of the structure, which if revealed may not meet the expectations of the authors. Likewise, the subtle formulation of the facades would have to be subjected to deeper investigation. From the technological standpoint, it is worth praising the use in the design of a photovoltaic system and the reusing of rainwater. However, as in the other designs, this aspect would have to be worked out in greater detail.

The new city hall will become the symbol of transparency and democratic processes of the Prague 7 city district and will play a key role in its transformation into a cultural and creative part of the metropolis. It will use solar energy both actively and passively. In the future, the modular façade will enable easy layout changes, and will be maintenance friendly. Natural window ventilation with night precooling will ensure a pleasant interior climate and low costs. The new city hall will be amicable to the city and environmentally friendly.

Jury evaluation: A carefully rendered design, which provides a relatively economical solution in terms of construction and technology; it is highly feasible and makes appropriate application of a photovoltaic system. As for the interior organisation, the jury particularly approves of the plan for a second staircase, which would allow for a more formal or public use of this vertical communication and the adjoining spaces. It would be worthwhile to work more carefully on the declared connection and accessibility of the ground floor into the inner courtyard, which is however, bearing in mind the chosen architectonic means, not particularly strong– entrance from the street is blocked by the transverse ramp, and into the courtyard the permeability is reduced by the arrangement of the floor plan. The aesthetically rational façade should be worked out so as to resemble less of a standard office building and more of a public institution.

Our proposal aims to create a holistic design that results in a clear interior system, reflected in the new facade. The offsets of the envelope’s modules assure variations in tone and shadows throughout the day, while the system is both cost effective and energy efficient. The building will renew completely its ground floor, giving it a more transparent and cohesive image. By splitting the core between the lifts and the main stairs, the project grants a flexible office space, easily adaptable to future changes.

Jury evaluation: The jury appreciated the highly careful preparation of the new design between the two rounds. The set-back from the adjoining building allowed for the proposal of windows around the entire perimeter, even though e.g. the function of the walkway, which was also added, is not entirely clear. More disputable and unjustifiable is the removal of the central columns. A positive feature was the well-conceived and adaptable organisation of functions, easy navigation inside the building, and the floor layout, though this was achieved precisely through these structural changes and could also be problematic in terms of the introduction of natural light. The approach chosen for the formulation of the façade was evaluated by the jury in both rounds as very interesting, notably in terms of the selected prefabricated elements and opening windows in each office, as well as recalling the need for maintenance. The abstraction of the monolithic form of the building was praised highly by the jury, yet in the end a less iconic approach was preferred for the reconstruction of the new town hall.

We see the new Prague 7 Town Hall as a house for the performance of local government for the benefit of its inhabitants. For such a service, we propose a completely transparent house in the parterre, giving the impression that every passer-by will find an open door for solving all kinds of life situations. This is not a care home, of course, but a house with a solid backbone, where organisation, rules and clarity are the sure thing, combined with a friendly and user-friendly environment.

Jury evaluation: The jury finds interesting the attempt to use the traditional motif of the Prague mosaic, thanks to which to a certain extent the sharp division between exterior and interior public spaces is re-evaluated. The interior courtyard can be used for parking as well as for social events, which is supported through the retracting doors. At the same time, the design has included the visual connection of the street to the courtyard, which is a clear added value. Even in the first round, the project was intriguing because of its atrium, yet in the second round this has not been given sufficient treatment and thus represents one of the demanding structural changes which, in the end, is not shown to be advantageous. Equally unconvincing is the technological plan of the building– the rather illogical positioning of the toilet facilities, while the routing of the ventilation technology and machine rooms are not given enough space. Used for the façade is a glass-brick material that is relatively expensive in terms of maintenance. In the final analysis, the jury did not find any advantage in transforming a potentially interesting current exterior into the common appearance of an office building.

The usual image of the town hall in the Czech lands is a closed office segregated into the territory of those who serve and those who are served. On the one hand, the city administration is trapped in a labyrinth of bureaucratic cabinets, and on the other hand, the citizens waiting in the spaces of monumental corridors from which they are called to the "grey zone" of tiny corners to the essence of the existence of the city hall interaction between administrators and residents. What if we grasp this unnamed grey space and make it a public landscape that both worlds inhabit?

Jury evaluation: In this design, the jury particularly approved of the conceptual approach and the strong vision of connecting the ground floor with the public space and interior courtyard into a single whole, and the generosity and creativity of the formal solution in the form of an intelligent interior landscape. The façade has something of a mysterious appearance, thanks to its combination of transparent and light-permeable sections. However, the authors did not demonstrate its technical feasibility, and so it remains only on the level of a conception. With respect to the previous round, the design has not moved on particularly on the level of the interior – here the jury cannot find any other aspect than the aesthetic. Also insufficiently presented were the budget and technical parameters of the building. The graphic design and presentation of the concept is, as in the first round, on a very high level. However, in the final result the strong concept and the clear capability of the authors to design a large-scale reconstruction project remain only very sketchy.

An open house for the 21st century, a friendly and transparent office that opens up to the public and provides space for cultural activities and community life. An energy-efficient house with intelligent management and low operating costs. A house that gives the city its most precious spaces - a relaxed ground floor, a glass street facade, a green courtyard and top floor spaces with terraces and views. A clear and generous interior - open client zones with lifts at the street facade, children's corners and conversation rooms in a more private area at the full facade with storage spaces. Offices along the south and west elevations.

Jury evaluation: The jury would like to stress the precise formulation and exact impression of the building, which the authors achieved through the exposing and emphasising of the original structural frame. Nonetheless, the full conception of the eastern façade and the use of façade grids lead to uniformity, which the jury does not find the best approach for a town hall. In the organisation of the interior, too much space has been sacrificed for waiting zones, and it is doubtful that they would be functional. The central units of separated hangings do not appear the best approach, nor does the general “heaviness” of the interior as opposed to the design from the first round. On the other hand, the storage areas in the interior are designed very well. Also viewed positively is the plan to use rainwater, though the overall technological conception would be well served by a reconsideration, particularly in terms of the use of heat pumps.