Reconstruction of the Lesná Polyclinic - Stage 1

On the southern edge of the iconic Lesná housing estate, which is among the most successful residential complexes created during the past regime, stands one of Brno's polyclinics under the management of the city of Brno. The building was constructed between 1968-1974 according to the design by architect Libuše Kopřivíková and is praised for its high-quality mass and material solutions in both the exterior and interior.

The footprint of the polyclinic is arranged in a rectangular shape resembling the letter S, which forms internal atriums enclosed by two connectors. The building is two stories high and partially built with a basement. The façade was designed using so-called Boletice panels in a gray-blue color, while the connecting parts were fully glazed to the full height of the floor. The base of the building was clad in brick strips, and on the exterior columns supporting the console at the main entrance, there was a black ceramic mosaic. The overlapping masses and entrance niches were detailed so that they connect precisely and cleanly.

It was not easy to convince the client to replace the unpopular Boletice panel with a similarly looking glass façade system, only in today’s standard. However, the result of the executed reconstruction of the façade respects the original thoughtful continuity of the individual masses of the building, retaining the atypical division of the façade into a brick base, two contrasting white horizontal bands of plaster, and a prominent area of a light glazed façade. The connecting parts are executed in accordance with the original design using a different large-format glazing system, which includes ventilation wings cleverly hidden in the grid of subtle columns of the façade system. Compared to the original design, the width of the white horizontal strips that frame the glazed section has been unified. Additionally, a different color scheme for the glass façade has been chosen.

This stage of the reconstruction included insulation and new cladding for the façade, replacement of the roof covering, new waterproofing of the substructure, and, as part of the basement reconstruction, a new barrier-free entrance directly from the parking lot below the polyclinic, as well as landscaping adjustments to the green areas adjacent to the building.

Future stages should primarily include a complete interior reconstruction, but also a conversion of the middle pavilion, which should be modified in the future to provide visitors to the polyclinic with appropriate facilities and to allow a view of all parts of the polyclinic through new glazed façades. Along with the circular access in the corridors, this would achieve easy orientation for visitors within the building.