Building for The Prague Emergency Medical Service

The proposal offers a pragmatic, functional and logically arranged building, which at the same time provides its employees with spaces and environments for rest necessary during their often stressful work. It presents a robust and compact building consisting of several program blocks placed on top of each other. The different width (depth) of these blocks allows for their mutual shift creating space for generous roof gardens. The most important part of the building – the operations center – acts as a beacon above the city.

The project is a clever response to a very complex set of spatial programs that seems to fit easily into the context yet presents a unique identity for the emergency responders. It is necessarily pragmatic in the moments where functionality is imperative and at the same time offers an ambitious image for an important service that keeps Prague safe. It is precisely this combination of robust pragmatism and aspirational expression that makes this building the winning entry. The jury recognises the progress made since the first round, resulting in a highly functional project that has retained its identity. The vertical separation of the building's perimeter zones, combined with the varying depth of the floor plans, ensures adaptability and flexibility for further development of the project. The jury likes the clear formal language of the proposal and the strategic and symbolic placement of the MOC on the roof. The MOC set in a separate volume allows for an optimized layout, required connections, and is a distinctive element of the building. The building appears as an infrastructure that has been designed for a specific context and appropriately reflects its function. The idea of the PVE canopy serving as a screening of the south facade and terraces offers a new experience for outdoor relaxation and a sense of protection. This concept has been developed and presented in a convincing way. The overall "eco‐technology" concept of the building is logical and the use of PV and rainwater not only has an ecological impact but also contributes to the overall architectural expression of the building. Regarding the interior, the combination of the auditorium and gym in one space is welcomed as an optimization of space utilization.

The Center of the Emergency Medical Services of Prague must be hyper connected with the city and at the same time be almost hidden from it. It must go unnoticed to the point of dissolving into its context. How can a building so large and active not be a disruption in the city? How can it go unnoticed to the point of almost disappearing at plain view? To meet this challenge, the building simply recesses back from the perimeter of the site to open two new axes of movement on its two fronts. Additionally, an alternative access for ambulances is proposed, connecting directly to the City Circuit (Městského Okruhu) through a small tunnel, avoiding any disruption to the neighborhood. The building gives space to the city to allow it to flow around it uninterrupted.

The jury values the optimization of the floor plans and the processing of comments from the first round of the competition. Also appreciated is the very flexible constructive concept based on a 9m grid, the hybrid materiality and the introduction of wood as a building material within the Czech building code. In terms of material, the heavy use of glass is not in line with the overall sustainability ambition of the project. The polycarbonate facade raises concerns about maintenance and durability. The climatic concept is innovative and proposes a passive solution, i.e. reducing the conditioned space and using the atrium as a natural buffer and chimney. The proposals do not yet indicate the different possible modes of operation (winter/summer, mid season). The re‐oxygenation of the used air in the atrium sounds appealing, but the jury has doubts about the functioning of this concept. The location of the MOC at the end of the building is quite clear, but the location of the core directly next to it somewhat limits a possible expansion of the MOC at a later stage. The jury finds the opening of the facades around the simulation rooms attractive, but these spaces fall within the security perimeter and therefore must have controlled access. The spiral staircase in the courtyard also breaks the security perimeter. Apart from these points, the access control and perimeter fencing are handled convincingly, with architectural virtue such as the subtle gesture of the entrance staircase crossing the fence. A direct connection to the city ring road is not possible but can be omitted. The clean aesthetics of the building are very appealing, but it is questionable whether this is the appropriate language for the periphery context and client/user identity.

The ZZS facility combines a range of typologically different operations. The site has a number of significant spatial constraints. Due to the robustness of the house program, it is expedient to compact the mass of the building as much as possible for operational approximation of internal connections. The architectural form follows the expression of the significance of the house - it is a major national infrastructure asset. It is therefore a serious house whose formal conception is based on classical antique compositional principles such as tectonics, order, rhythm, symmetry and gradation. The strict regularity of the façade is not mere theatre; it is a true acknowledgement of the internal articulation, based on the building's supporting structure - the 8m modular system.

The urban design, complemented by a new spatial landmark in the local environment, made a very convincing impression on the jury. The quality of the design is certainly the balance between all four facades, where the orientation of the house is determined by the detail of the ground floor. However, the jury still has a doubtful view on the heavily rational expression of the design, referring more to a 'honourable traditional institution'. The clamped monoblock form provides a favourable balance between building volume, floor area and building envelope, so the design constructively sets the level of building and operational requirements. The rational structural and spatial design provides opportunities for further design development. However, the structural module of 8x8 metres net needs to be reconsidered regarding of the net width of parking spaces and the geometry of the servicing underground garage. The parking of three cars within this 8 m modulation is on the limit, parking of three ambulances however is no longer possible, so the number of proposed parking spaces will be in reality significantly reduced. The client has specified a standard regarding floor areas, which this proposal does not meet. In particular, the administration area and its facilities are 30% ‐ 40% undersized. The expert part of the jury is not convinced by the design of the MOC hall, where operational and structural modifications are required.

The administrative-technical building of the Emergency Medical Services will be the primary base for all Prague emergency medical service groups, so the topic of “communication” is a key part of our proposal. Whether it is virtual, operational or interpersonal communication, in all cases it has the potential to save lives. A safe, smart and efficient organization of the house has therefore become an essential prerequisite of the design. The answer lies in the spiral motif that ascends through the various safety levels of the program, forming the basic backbone for the organization of the entire house.

The jury found a significant shift in the design in reducing the overly extensive use of volumetric by bringing the masses of the individual blocks together. The jury also appreciates the design of the main entrance from the ground floor level into the spatially condensed hall with its many levels and overlooks, or the witty concept of the volumetric of the 'spiral fan', which relates to the spatial and operational hierarchy of the traffic and parking garage. Furthermore, the typological purity and discipline of the principle: type of function = separate volume, was appreciated. However, the chosen spatial concept also proves to be limiting with a number of impacts that are difficult to resolve. In addition, using of one of the volumes in the aboveground part as a car park seems problematic. Although this programme is intended as a kind of spatial reserve, it gives the impression of a search for a filling for the 4th volume. In general, the allocation of masses to individual functions, including separate roads, limits the flexibility of the building that is working with access perimeters. Further, the division into a large number of volumes creates a high ratio of building envelope area to usable floor area and greatly increases the amount of GFA. The structural floor heights of the administrative part, which amount to 3,3 m and are therefore significantly undersized, are also problematic.

The concept of the designed building is based on the surrounding urban fabric of the neighboring housing estate from the 1960s – Prosek. We propose a new distinctively elongated solitary object, positioned within the rules and inner logic of the surrounding masterplan. The building itself corresponds with the linearity of the near habitation, protects it from the negative influence of the Liberecká street and becomes the endpiece of the whole district.

The jury appreciates the modifications from the first round, the ambition to create a comfortable workspace, the rationality of the design and the expression of the structural exceptions of the gym and auditorium. Also the traffic concept and the idea to separate the volume of the car wash and repair shop seem as a strong and well functioning solution. The effort to reduce the glazing of the façade is certainly welcome, but the strength of a clear structure with a changing rhythm has been lost. The proposed layout of the building has several weaknesses in terms of the safety perimeters. It also appears that the design of the MOC was not given enough attention related to its importance to the building. Further, given the depth of the building, it is questionable whether an atrium is necessary. The proposed simple and compact form works well in the urban context, but its proportions also present limitations for the spatial arrangement of the programme that cannot be overcome, for example, the functionality and position of the MOC cannot be improved without major changes to the plan.

Building for the Prague Emergency Medical Service is characterized by its many departments with different space, light, and size requirements still acting as one big institution. An institution where each branch is crucial for the whole system to work efficiently and seamlessly. Designed proposal is trying to emphasize this specific aspect of the program, proposing a building designed around filigree, repetitive and flexible structure. Structure which acts as a skeleton being filled with rooms and functions of different department. Building that resonates around three covered courtyards creating inner world for the whole institution of Prague Emergency Medical Service ZZS.

The jury appreciates the ambition of the project, which is manifested in its general compactness, the attempt to solve the programmatic puzzle in an intriguing spatial configuration and thoughts on the modularity of the façade and the rationality of the grid. The structural optimisation of the beams, the façade and their use as an aesthetic element is also appreciated. However, facade intersections and lacking coordination with the spatial module create a number of problems such as thermal bridges, etc. The spatial organisation is also problematic, as well as the orientation in the building, which is very difficult. Some axes do not continue or collide with the cores located inside the atria. Similarly, the superstructure of the floors appears to be oversized and the soffit conflicts with the ornamental beams. The building is low and does not adequately support the height of the antenna, in which case the top floor would need to be raised. However, the result lacks coordination of the varied ambitions and fails to create compelling spaces. The chosen grid is not consistent with the spatial modules of the program or the grid of the façade, and does not support the declared modularity of the floor plans. Consequently, the cores and shafts are inconsistent with the grid. Furthermore, the roof shapes on the MOC appear formal.