• architectural study
• year: 2022
• area: 5000 m²
• investor: the statutory city of Pardubice
• author: Jan Mackovič
• in collaboration with: dominika čižmářová, max kušiak
• images: author's archive

THE BUILDING OF THE ELEMENTARY ART SCHOOL IS BOTH PRAGMATIC AND ROMANTIC AT THE SAME TIME. IT'S ANGULAR LIKE THE PREFABS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, YET ROUNDED LIKE A CHILD'S WOODEN BLOCKS. IT'S BIG ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE ALL THE DISCIPLINES, BUT FROM THE OUTSIDE IT LOOKS DELICATE AND ARTICULATED. PUPILS HAVE INTIMATE SPACES OF PAVILIONS AND CLASSROOMS, AS WELL AS PLACES TO MEET TOGETHER ON THE GROUND FLOOR AND ON ROOF TERRACES. WHEN THEY ARE PROPERLY PREPARED, THEY WILL BE REWARDED WITH A PERFORMANCE IN THE CONCERT HALL OUTSIDE THE WINDOWS, THEN THEY WILL SEE A GROUP OF BEAUTIFUL MATURE TREES - THE JEWEL OF THE PLACE

The area is located in the successful realisation of housing estate Polabiny from the 1960s. It was built according to the design of the architect duo Krásný - Návesník. Many years have passed since the construction, so the planted trees have reached an age where they form a beautiful backdrop. The housing estate is thus composed of long slabs of apartment blocks that literally disappear in the flood of greenery. Grass, trees and shrubs predominate. The authors have also managed to displace car traffic from the main pedestrian routes, so it is safe to move around the estate on foot or by bicycle. The civic amenities are designed with low, mostly two-storey buildings, which almost disappear in the space between the prefabricated houses. One of these is the existing special school building, which is in a technically unsatisfactory condition and is slated for demolition. It will be replaced by a new building for the Polabiny Primary School of Art, which is the subject of a competition. The area is mostly a garden with grassland and groups of mature trees. From a landscape point of view, the most valuable is the group of lindens and poplar trees in the south-west corner of the site. This group also becomes one of the pillars of the urban concept. The groups of trees on the west side are retained and the house set back so that they can be retained. Another important urbanistic factor is the connection to the functioning local centre - a square with amenities (shops, restaurants, café, music bar) situated to the north of Ohrazenická Street. The designed mass of the hall will create a corner to the existing square and thus complete it urbanistically. The third essential point for the creation of the mass was the traffic possibilities around the site and its traffic connection (location of the garage entrance, etc.). The last key point is the orientation to the cardinal points, or the movement of the sun during the day. The design seeks to make the most of the north side for the location of classrooms.

The designed mass of the building is based on the urbanism of the site (it is involved in the orthogonal structure of the settlement), the internal functional division of the building (public accessible part with a foyer, concert hall and café, or non-public part with the school building itself), the height regulation on the plot (15m) and respect for quality groups of trees. The single-storey entrance is proposed between the square and the service road at the intersection of Drustevní and Mladých Streets. The main four-storey mass of the school building is adjacent to it from the north, with a volume containing a concert hall and café on the south side. The shape of the basic cubic mass has been adapted to fulfil the functional intention of the client (residence roof), the orientation of the halls takes advantage of the visual qualities of the aforementioned group of trees.

The overall urban design is strongly influenced by the client's intention - to create a local artistic and cultural centre. 

The architecture of the house is designed to make it clear at first glance that it is a cultural institution of regional importance. We looked for a form that would be clearly legible - It is not a philharmonic or an ordinary primary school - but a school for future artists! Therefore, we tried to find a form that is both rational (fully functional in its basic material structure), but also childishly playful with many surprising views and perspectives from the pedestrian's point of view. In its conception, the house is designed as a potential magnet that should attract the interest of the surroundings. The café and podium is oriented to the existing local centre of the estate, the site at the main entrance on the east side will form a local residency shaded area of the urban parterre. Behind the open glazed foyer we then propose a residential school garden, which has a very natural character for a change with a variety of trees, shrubs, flowers etc.

The café and main concert hall are adjacent to the square, while the classrooms are oriented to the quiet north side overlooking the kindergarten garden. The two basic masses are connected by a glazed open neck of the foyer. In the design of the school part of the building we preferred a "double tract" with an open porch and classrooms on the north side. This solution allows create a space for a quiet, intimate environment in front of the classrooms themselves. On the ground floor there is also the possibility of meeting thanks to the staircase with the library, which can also serve as a meeting place for the whole school (speeches by the principal to students or teachers, etc.). According to current trends, acoustic partitions are considered between classrooms at a slight angle for better acoustics. From one of the galleries it is possible to access the residence roof with the possibility of outdoor teaching. The south side of the pavilion is finished with a wall that will allow for the continuous display of pupils' artwork, exhibitions, etc. The largest classrooms and halls at the end of the pavilion face south, with a view of the group of mature trees which will provide much needed shade (verified on site with the headmistress of the existing special school). These halls are envisaged to be cooled and ventilated (to be verified at a higher stage of the design documentation). The foyer is open glazed with changing room facilities, toilets and access to the underground garage. The foyer is connected to the café and the main concert hall with facilities. From the foyer there is also an entrance to the school's residence garden, where are outdoor stairs to the rooftop residence terrace with the possibility of outdoor concerts or a summer cinema.

From the outside, the house should look light and white. Despite its relatively large volume, it will look soft and playful. The façades are considered in a combination of white plaster, glazed façades, slatted façade. The roof will be made as a green extensive with the possibility of installing photovoltaic panels. The interior of the school is again seen as "light" with a combination of beige tones, white and wood.