Theses 2019 - Special Award from the Cegra Company

School: Faculty of Architecture, CTU in Prague
Supervisor: Boris Redčenkov

Urbanism
The public space in Karlovy Vary has always been concentrated around the sources of the springs. The Vřídlo spring, spouting up to twelve meters high, is covered by a lightweight glass pavilion. It thus becomes part of the spa promenade and a dominant feature of the entire area. The colonnade is situated below the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, a location that emerged from the morphology of the city.
The gap at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene is completed by a row of townhouses, with the new development partially mirroring the floor plan of the original houses. On the left bank of the Teplá River, linear development has been added. Along the houses, a renewed passage alongside the river is created, forming a riverbank. The transportation solution is based on the assumption of traffic restriction and overall calming of the traffic in the area. The entire area is designed as a pedestrian zone. The theater square becomes a lively public space.

Design
The roofing of the thermal spring's jet is specific to Karlovy Vary and has no equivalent in the world. The enclosure of the Vřídlo is primarily motivated by the protection of surrounding buildings from thermal water dissolved in the air. At the same time, enclosing the jet within the pavilion creates a healing microclimate. The Vřídlo jet is placed in a glass pavilion at the edge of the riverbank wall, thereby placing it at the center of the public space.
The mass of the colonnade connects to the stairs below the Church of St. Mary Magdalene. The proportions of the colonnade are partly derived from the dimensions of the Mill Colonnade. The simple, slender structure of the colonnade consists of prefabricated reinforced concrete columns and a slab. The surface is designed with light exposed concrete. To protect against weather conditions, its parts are glazed.
The space under the Vřídlo becomes part of the colonnade. The center of the space is the Vřídlo fountain, which descends into the underground from the level of the pavilion. The falling water symbolizes the beginning of the thermal water cycle, in which rainwater is absorbed several thousand meters into the ground and begins the process of transformation into thermal water. The exhibit further describes the entire process of formation. In the underground, there is also a multifunctional hall.