Architectural competition for Park Čtyři Dvory - third place

The third place in the architectural competition for the concept of Park Čtyři Dvory was awarded by the competitive jury to proposal number 13 by authors Kryštof Štulc (Prague), Tereza Mácová (Prague), and Ilona Vybíralová (Ostrava - Poruba). The proposal was also collaborated on by Jana Myšková and Ferdinand Leffler.

Excerpt from the accompanying report

Project solution: justification of the proposed solution
The rumble of military technology ceased and turned into a dull silence. Now only the wind in the open landscape sharpens our senses. The area of the former military training ground, plowed and undulated by tank tracks with legible traces of past history, and soil as poor as ashes, is to provide new moisture for the life of the ray. Currently, despite the proximity of the Vltava River and the adjacent ponds, it seems as if the ray lies outside the life-giving moisture, as if it were yet to swim into the water landscape.
The planned construction of a concert hall and congress center, locally known as Rejnok, was the main impulse for solving the basic structure of the park. The arrangement of paths from the Rejnok building was designed in waves graduating from the natural landscape towards the formal parterre. The nearby pond system seemed to burst forth like a surf trying to electrify, capture, and revive the creature.
Water and its forms intertwine through the park like a red thread. Inspiration from organic lines symbolizing waves also corresponds with past usages. The territory of the military training ground was undulated and interwoven with irregular paths. The tangled paths, terrain modeling, and periodic ponds formed in anthropogenic depressions do not allow for a direct walking direction. The organic nature of the current roadway network was respected in the design.
Another input for the chosen architectural solution and work with materials was the usage of the past in contrast to the planned adaptation of the area into a legitimate part of the organism of the city of České Budějovice. Concrete in the form of panels, building materials for buildings, and fencing is still present in the location. Three buildings with a built area of about 1500 m² were located directly on the area, the paved road surfaces made up nearly 2000m², and there was also fencing with a length of 500m within the addressed area. At present, all structures have been demolished. Although the demolition work is not specified in detail in the assignment documentation, it can be inferred based on a site visit and historical analysis that some of the building foundations and fences may have been partially left on-site. This fact, in connection with the technological process of the demolition carried out, leaves visibly outlined, mismatched fragments of building rubble, and the presence of naturally less quality clayey-sandy soils compressed by military technology is the cause of the species-poor vegetation in the entire addressed area and adjacent plots. It is precisely the concrete and the likelihood of leaving building foundations and small construction elements that served as an additional entry for the proposed solution. Larger paved areas were situated in the former building locations (the exact position of the structures was determined based on georeferencing of aerial images in GIS software). Concrete, as a reminiscence of the past and at the same time reflecting the incoming era, is one of the main materials used in the realization of atypical furniture, visual and dividing walls, but also for the construction of a modern skate park.
The planned construction will change this area beyond recognition. New residential buildings will be contrasted with the generous architecture of the Rejnok and the sports hockey stadium, realized in the current style of metal cladding. The park reflects all these contrasts and, utilizing exposed concrete, calms and appropriately connects to the neighboring functional usage.

Programmatic solution of the park
As stated above, the park is designed in floor waves. Within these waves, the programmatic equipment of the park is divided into three parts: formal, sports-relaxation, and natural landscaping.

Main idea
The main idea of the design, its story, is water. Emerging from the construction of the ray and its dynamism, the nearby pond landscape, and several wetland communities, rather islands, on the construction area.
Water expresses itself purely ideologically, and if the construction of the ray is not realized, the park will function in conjunction with another central building of similar functional use.

Formal part of the park
This part directly connects to the Rejnok building. Due to the uncoordinated movement of visitors from the Rejnok towards the park, a paved surface has been utilized along the entire length of the park's boundary with the Rejnok building. The paved surface is not uniform. Green islands are placed in the pavement made of concrete slabs. The position of the islands and their size depend on the axes of the interior of the Rejnok. The inspiration for this solution was drops of water gravitating towards the earth's surface. Just as the earth’s force attracts tiny raindrops, so too are the green islands directed toward the central structure of the entire space. The drops seem to slowly enter the interior of the Rejnok from the park's exterior. In this part, there is a gravitational connection between the interior and exterior of the central parterre Four Dvory. The connection, as one of the main principles, was also applied in the design of the kiosk. Also located in the formal part of the park, the architectural design of the kiosk is conceived as a confluence of two separate parts, a café and a sports equipment rental, connected by a common background. The kiosk is designed as a discreet inner space of the park. From the back, it flows under the terrain modeling, while from the front, a large glass showcase leads into the formal parterre. The optical connection of the café’s interior with adjoining plots emphasizes the symbol of water, primarily its clarity. Not far from the kiosk and its outdoor seating, a children’s playground is located with play elements symbolizing the sea. The kiosk and the playground are situated in the second and third waves of the park. In this part, the paved surface is composed of crushed stone. The individual waves are marked in the floor plan by thin, straight-cut concrete strips. Furniture in this part is directed between the expanded spots of water droplets. The irregular arrangement of benches creates separate discussion groups typical for the artistic community.

Relaxation and sports part of the park
The sports part freely connects to the formal part, with their mutual intermingling occurring in several places. Sporting activities are localized into two separate hubs. One is aimed at the general public, while the other is intended for skate activities. In the part intended for the general public, outdoor gyms with four machines and play surfaces for streetball, outdoor squash, and ball games can be found. The entire background of sports activities is separated from the other parts of the park by more layered greenery. Additionally, an earthen model has been created from the park side, serving as an insulating function, from the playgrounds towards the park. On the side closer to the sporting background, benches, a miniature grandstand, and a resting spot after heavy training are set into the modeling in two rows one above the other.
The second hub of the sports part is located on the opposite side of the park. The skatepark is subtly embedded in the terrain. Based on the slope and depth of the side walls, separate training ramp sections with different degrees of difficulty are created. The skate park is then freely passable on the lowest level. The connection of individual skate ramps into an organic shape, embedded below the terrain, avoids simultaneously practicing solutions, where several separate training ramps form a heterogeneous disruptive space.

Landscaping part
In this part, there is an overall calming of movement and communication flows. Here, a section is dedicated to nature and solitude. Walking trails in grassy strips or a thematic garden are directed through the terrain modeling. Here, the waves calm down. Water slowly connects with the landscape. Periodic ponds and wetlands are created here. The park planting freely connects with the surrounding nature. The grassy parterre is replaced by a meadow. Regular flower beds of the formal part are replaced by natural maintenance-free plantings.

Principles of movement organization and integration of the park into the environment
In organizing movement and planning paved surfaces, we relied on the future use of adjoining plots, but also on currently used pedestrian paths. The flow of people, potential users, and their purpose for entering and staying in the park was an indispensable parameter for the design of the project solution. The park's area is nestled between two traffic routes, creating a distinct anthropogenic boundary for the entire area. These roads, along with the planned traffic connection of Strakonická Road and Milady Horákové, across which two bridge connections, so-called ecological corridors, are to be created, direct movement to and from several crossings. The most important of these are the places next to the currently under-construction hockey hall on E. Rošockého street and the area near the traffic intersection of Husova street and Strakonická, opposite the football stadium. If the landscape remains open and permeable from the north, it is plausible to maintain this traffic connection. This intention was respected in the design of pedestrian paths.
In places where currently used pedestrian paths enter the open landscape, behind the imaginary wall of park alterations, concrete strips were integrated into the grassy areas. The raster of strip arrangements going into the landscape gradually thins, until it completely disappears. The principle of connectivity was applied in the relationship between the park and the Rejnok buildings, as well as in purely landscaped principles, where there is the potential for future expansion of the park towards the northeast. The main transport artery and central transport route of the park alteration is a diagonal line connecting the eastern and western parts of the area. A circular path for inline skating is also situated here. Along this circular pathway, stops for the "Be Fit" trail are positioned. Some stops are meant to support physical activity while others focus on psychological aspects—a view of the water surface, nooks of blooming flowers, and many others.

Description of material solutions
The project solution worked with three types of surfaces in various modifications and innovations. The surface used for the lines of paths is asphalt cover. The second and more important material used not only for paved walking surfaces but also in various forms for play surfaces, small architecture of furniture, and for the construction of the kiosk's skeleton is concrete. Concrete as a leading surface is utilized in the area before the Rejnok building, where the entrance space to the park is made of large-format pavement of concrete slabs. This surface then transitions freely into a soft surface of crushed stone. The furniture combinations of concrete, wood, and metal are used within the furniture.

Vegetation adjustments
The park was designed as low-maintenance, especially in the sports-relaxation and landscaping parts. In the formal part, ornamental perennial flower beds are situated, but are conceived as extensive plantings, requiring maintenance once a year. In the shrub layer, predominantly freely growing species of ornamental trees were used, which in specific places create an impenetrable barrier. The tree planting includes easy-to-care-for species of trees, including representatives of pioneer species. In some areas, for the reasons mentioned above, terrain modeling was created for the planting of trees. The grassy areas are represented by two types of lawns. In the formal part, it is an intensely mown lawn for activities, while in the landscaping part, the meadow is primarily worked with.