Basic Art School

A House Like a Children's Puzzle
The project of the elementary art school in Smižany was created at the initiative of an American investor of Slovak origin, who, at the twilight of his successful life, decided to gift this school to his hometown. The art school is located in the center of the village of Smižany, on the site of the former "kantor's" house. The floor plan of the school follows the shape of the land. The building is accessible from two sides, from the main square and from the new riverside street.
The art school is presented as a construction set, as a place for the development of children's talents. It is a set of blocks, boxes, or containers that together create a children's puzzle. In the square, there is the largest box - a multipurpose hall (aula), and on the side street, there are smaller boxes with individual areas of creation: an orange box - for dance, a blue one - for multimedia, and a green one - for visual arts. The music studios are along the neighboring plot. All of this is connected by a corridor - "passage," from which all activities of the elementary art school are perceptible. The same function is served by the facade facing the street. The gently sloping terrain is manifested by longitudinal ramps on the connecting corridor. The principle of simplicity is also reflected in the construction - brick walls and a wooden ceiling structure with a minimal six percent slope for trapezoidal roofing. The dynamics of the composition is achieved through mutual divergence and intertwining, fine-tuned by the inclination of the gable walls (following the shape of the land) and masses. The basic color chord is cool: white, blue, and green, accented by orange at the entrance. However, color is a variable element here. The building will develop color-wise according to needs. The front facade is decorated with students' works.