New Town Hall for Prague 12
The Modřany Town Hall is unique for many different reasons. First of all, it transformed a forgotten brownfield into an important place. It made life easier for the local residents by consolidating all the offices that were previously located in seven different buildings under one roof, while also providing a space for people to spend their leisure time.
The best architecture is one that not only respects its surroundings but also contributes to it and can cultivate public space, serve the people who use it flawlessly, and simultaneously motivate them to want to come here. The new Town Hall of the Prague 12 District, which immediately became the new center of Modřany upon its completion in July 2021, meets these criteria perfectly.
This is further evidenced by the fact that the project, designed by the architectural studio LOXIA, received the National Center for Construction 4.0 Award in the Construction of the Year 2022 competition. The jury appreciated its contributions and a number of technically interesting and visionary solutions.
Award for Visionary Approach
First and foremost, the Town Hall building had to meet strict sustainability requirements, making it extremely economical in terms of maintenance and energy consumption, and it features a photovoltaic power plant with an FVE output of 50 kWp on the roof, which can cover 5-10% of the building's electricity consumption during peak performance on weekdays and most of the electricity needed for maintenance over the weekend.
Under the parking lot, there are tanks for rainwater, which is used for watering the greenery on the premises, and the parking lot includes stations for charging electric vehicles. While this may seem like a given today, it's worth noting that the project design originated in 2017, when this approach seemed very futuristic. Thanks to such visionary projects from recent years, this approach is becoming a common standard.
The building was also completed in a record short time - only 2 years passed from the start of construction to its completion. "Thanks to this, it not only brought increased comfort for local residents and officials but also significant savings at a time when other town halls in the country face record cost increases," says chief architect Jana Mastíková of the architectural studio LOXIA, who is also the author of the entire project.
Office Hours? Constantly
The Modřany Town Hall was designed not only to allow residents to handle all matters that previously required visits to seven different buildings under one roof, but also to ensure the place remains lively even after office hours. In addition to administrative facilities, the town hall also serves as a meeting place, offering space for cultural activities and various leisure activities.
In the multifunctional hall, which serves for council meetings during the day, there are also theatrical performances, musical productions, screenings, and the like. Local interest groups or homeowner associations from nearby apartment buildings also use the space.
Naturally, the hall connects to a restaurant that provides facilities for both office staff and visitors to events held in the hall. A higher goal is to utilize sufficient kitchen capacity to provide lunches for socially disadvantaged citizens or seniors.
The public services are complemented in the entrance hall by a children's corner, a café, shops, and other services. While handling official matters, locals can stop not only for a bite to eat but also perhaps at a notary or in a pharmacy. There is also a coworking space available. The public space in front of the building, planted with greenery, is an ideal place for neighbors to meet, enjoy pleasant seating, and hold smaller events, such as markets, festivals, concerts, or various other cultural performances.
The Largest Clock in Prague
However, the new town hall building is also unique for its appearance. "In our design, we were not only focused on the building itself but aimed to create a new genius loci for Prague 12. Our inspiration was the Modřany sugar factory, which played a crucial role in the history of Modřany. Thus, the new town hall is shaped like three sugar cubes, and I am convinced that we have succeeded in designing a unique building that everyone will recognize as being in Prague 12," says the architect.
An eye-catching feature is the two imposing, illuminated clocks that exceed four meters in diameter, making them some of the largest clocks in Prague. The building also includes other attributes that a structure of this type should have besides the clocks and public space - there is a balcony for speakers, a high column order signifying the dignity and importance of the building, a colonnade, an entrance hall as a safe place for orientation within the building, and besides meeting rooms, there is also a ceremonial hall.
"The aesthetic and functional solution is the 'floating' staircase in the entrance hall, which, thanks to a supporting column stabilizing the landing with the staircase, creates a nice open space with the illusion of a 'floating' platform," describes one of the original solutions Michal Hendrych, chief engineer of the architectural studio LOXIA. The entire structure is, of course, designed to be barrier-free, and in addition to three staircases, it also includes four elevators ensuring barrier-free access to the upper floors.
The Story Doesn't End
The new town hall, which replaced an unused and unattractive brownfield, is very well accessible by public transport. Moreover, the area surrounding the town hall, which includes additional brownfields, has great potential for further development.
"In designing the town hall, we focused on Modřany as a compact urban unit and created a vision of three new centers in Modřany, one of which is precisely the new town hall. From my perspective, it is very important to create complex projects and meaningful entities through which people can enjoy living in cities. Architects also need to work as visionaries because what we start today on paper will welcome its first users only in five, or in some projects even ten years," adds architect Mastíková.
The best architecture is one that not only respects its surroundings but also contributes to it and can cultivate public space, serve the people who use it flawlessly, and simultaneously motivate them to want to come here. The new Town Hall of the Prague 12 District, which immediately became the new center of Modřany upon its completion in July 2021, meets these criteria perfectly.
This is further evidenced by the fact that the project, designed by the architectural studio LOXIA, received the National Center for Construction 4.0 Award in the Construction of the Year 2022 competition. The jury appreciated its contributions and a number of technically interesting and visionary solutions.
Award for Visionary Approach
First and foremost, the Town Hall building had to meet strict sustainability requirements, making it extremely economical in terms of maintenance and energy consumption, and it features a photovoltaic power plant with an FVE output of 50 kWp on the roof, which can cover 5-10% of the building's electricity consumption during peak performance on weekdays and most of the electricity needed for maintenance over the weekend.
Under the parking lot, there are tanks for rainwater, which is used for watering the greenery on the premises, and the parking lot includes stations for charging electric vehicles. While this may seem like a given today, it's worth noting that the project design originated in 2017, when this approach seemed very futuristic. Thanks to such visionary projects from recent years, this approach is becoming a common standard.
The building was also completed in a record short time - only 2 years passed from the start of construction to its completion. "Thanks to this, it not only brought increased comfort for local residents and officials but also significant savings at a time when other town halls in the country face record cost increases," says chief architect Jana Mastíková of the architectural studio LOXIA, who is also the author of the entire project.
Office Hours? Constantly
The Modřany Town Hall was designed not only to allow residents to handle all matters that previously required visits to seven different buildings under one roof, but also to ensure the place remains lively even after office hours. In addition to administrative facilities, the town hall also serves as a meeting place, offering space for cultural activities and various leisure activities.
In the multifunctional hall, which serves for council meetings during the day, there are also theatrical performances, musical productions, screenings, and the like. Local interest groups or homeowner associations from nearby apartment buildings also use the space.
Naturally, the hall connects to a restaurant that provides facilities for both office staff and visitors to events held in the hall. A higher goal is to utilize sufficient kitchen capacity to provide lunches for socially disadvantaged citizens or seniors.
The public services are complemented in the entrance hall by a children's corner, a café, shops, and other services. While handling official matters, locals can stop not only for a bite to eat but also perhaps at a notary or in a pharmacy. There is also a coworking space available. The public space in front of the building, planted with greenery, is an ideal place for neighbors to meet, enjoy pleasant seating, and hold smaller events, such as markets, festivals, concerts, or various other cultural performances.
The Largest Clock in Prague
However, the new town hall building is also unique for its appearance. "In our design, we were not only focused on the building itself but aimed to create a new genius loci for Prague 12. Our inspiration was the Modřany sugar factory, which played a crucial role in the history of Modřany. Thus, the new town hall is shaped like three sugar cubes, and I am convinced that we have succeeded in designing a unique building that everyone will recognize as being in Prague 12," says the architect.
An eye-catching feature is the two imposing, illuminated clocks that exceed four meters in diameter, making them some of the largest clocks in Prague. The building also includes other attributes that a structure of this type should have besides the clocks and public space - there is a balcony for speakers, a high column order signifying the dignity and importance of the building, a colonnade, an entrance hall as a safe place for orientation within the building, and besides meeting rooms, there is also a ceremonial hall.
"The aesthetic and functional solution is the 'floating' staircase in the entrance hall, which, thanks to a supporting column stabilizing the landing with the staircase, creates a nice open space with the illusion of a 'floating' platform," describes one of the original solutions Michal Hendrych, chief engineer of the architectural studio LOXIA. The entire structure is, of course, designed to be barrier-free, and in addition to three staircases, it also includes four elevators ensuring barrier-free access to the upper floors.
The Story Doesn't End
The new town hall, which replaced an unused and unattractive brownfield, is very well accessible by public transport. Moreover, the area surrounding the town hall, which includes additional brownfields, has great potential for further development.
"In designing the town hall, we focused on Modřany as a compact urban unit and created a vision of three new centers in Modřany, one of which is precisely the new town hall. From my perspective, it is very important to create complex projects and meaningful entities through which people can enjoy living in cities. Architects also need to work as visionaries because what we start today on paper will welcome its first users only in five, or in some projects even ten years," adds architect Mastíková.
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