Library and Community Centre Prostějov

Idea projektu

The study deals with the revitalization of the municipal spa in Prostějov with an emphasis on its new use as a library and community centre. The object of the solution is mainly the building of the spa with the immediate surroundings and the garden. The aim is to breathe life back into the building so that it can serve as a venue for public life and a place for different generations to meet and coexist; the intention is to make the building more attractive to the public by giving it a more modern and dynamic appearance, as well as by linking the library to the adjacent square and making the garden more accessible. Inside, a welcoming environment is to be created with reference to the original function of the building. In addition to the individual departments of the library itself (children, young people, adults), a café, three different sized rooms for different uses, a gallery and spaces for the library (offices, depository, storage...) will be built.

Popis projektu

In the design I tried to build on the existing structure of the building and use as many existing structures as possible, such as staircases, sanitary and lift cores, etc. The original massing is barely changed on the exterior, there is the addition of a residence staircase and mostly landscaping changes such as excavating the ground floor garden and extending the English courtyards to better light the ground floor. The mass is made up of a block to which varying lengths of blocks are added on the shorter sides, becoming steeper according to storey, the highest part being covered by a gabled roof with a small pitch. The lower parts are covered by a flat green roof. The main entrance is protected by a projecting cantilevered roof, complete with library sign and original portico, providing monumentality. The design seeks to respect the architectural qualities of the building and to incorporate the retained pool structure into the operation of the library. A new structure is inserted into the monolithic tub creating a floor space in place of the pool on the 2nd floor, where part of it is recessed, while at the same time a children's section is created in the deeper part, which is illuminated with the help of shelves on the 2nd floor, these serve as skylights. The main library spaces are oriented to the south side to the garden, with which they are connected on each floor by sliding windows. The entrance to the individual premises is always a hall facing the square and equipped with large windows to attract the public outside. Probably the most prominent room of the whole building, the pool hall is used for the largest section of the library, the adult section, and is flanked by associated club rooms so as to divide the quieter and noisier traffic. The children's department, situated in the bottom of the pool, uses monolithic construction to create a playful environment and interesting nooks and crannies. The youth section, on the ground floor, is again set back a little from the others, achieving greater privacy. The most striking intervention to the façade is the change in the articulation of the windows. In particular, the perforated metal shading of the south façade, or the sliding shutters on the remaining windows, which soften the overall appearance, are significant in the external appearance. Perforated sheet metal is also used on the railings, completing the external appearance of the building. In addition, white facade plaster and grey window and door frames are used.

Technické informace

The exterior is dominated by white facade plaster, complemented by grey coloured hole fillers and shading elements and railings made of perforated painted sheet metal in light shades. Residential stairs and external walking surfaces are made up of either marble or concrete elements. Inside, terrazzo is used for the floor and polished concrete on the lowest floor. The walls are white plastered, with sandblasting of the building's supporting structure in appropriate locations. In each compartment we find wooden shelving in different designs and colours and seating furniture, together with carpets, always in the chosen colour. The individual rooms are complemented with wooden elements, The handrails on the staircase are made of perforated metal.