Urban House Dobříš - 3rd place

Evaluation in the 2nd round of the competition
The authors of the proposal confirmed a professional and consistent approach to the assignment and present a cultivated, restrained, and overly rational concept of the city library. In the architectural solution of the facade, they replaced the strong orientation of the building towards B. Němcová Street in favor of a uniform opening to its surroundings. Although the absolute height of the building was reduced, its relative scale increased through verticalization and the multiplication of openings. The jury sees a certain awkwardness in the unclear definition of the entrance to the building, subordinated to an overly formalist expression of the house. The earnest spatial solution and pleasant scale of the interior spaces are a positive aspect of the proposal. The graphical presentation was not as convincing as the final personal defense of the concept.

---

Author's report

Urban concept
The City House building in Dobříš is designed as a clearly defined mass connected to the line of residential buildings on Wolkerova Street and the adjacent kindergarten. The main entrance is from the south, from the square, from the forecourt that is created at Božena Němcová Street. Mature trees are preserved in this area, and it can be used in connection with the operations of the building. The building is three stories high, measuring 17.2x37.2 m with a height of 10.25 m. In the western part of the site, there are 15 parking spaces.

Architectural and spatial concept
The architectural solution is based on the grid of library shelves. The building is divided into three sections, within which a symmetrical layout is inscribed. The main space of the City House is the elevated reading room located in the upper two floors of the middle section for the full length of the building. This space is defined by rectangular columns corresponding to the aforementioned grid of shelves and is oriented towards views of the park to the east and the garden of the kindergarten to the west. In the side sections of the library, shelves, smaller reading rooms, and two service blocks with stairs and social facilities are located. The facade is also divided in the grid of shelves so that the openings connect directly with the alleys.

Spatial and operational solution
The main entrance to the building is from the entrance forecourt from the south. Visitors enter a lobby divided into two parts through a foyer. From the first half, access to supplementary library services (children's corner, hall, computer classroom, café, and social facilities) is available; the second part belongs to the library (central lending desk, lockers). At the end of the hall, there is a staircase with an elevator leading to an adjacent block of administrative facilities with a service entrance. The control point is located in a glass partition dividing the hall. In the upper floors, there is library operations.
On the second floor, there is a section for adults with the main reading room in the middle section and library collections in the side sections. The central part of the reading room is illuminated by skylights. Directly opposite the stairs is the workstation for librarians with a small background. The main reading room features various types of seating, from armchairs to computer workstations and traditional tables. Readers also have the option to read in more intimate spaces behind the shelves on the southern facade, where there is a connection to the library's entrance space. Symmetrically with the entrance staircase is a block of social facilities.
The third floor is designated for children. Collections and reading rooms are located in the side sections connected by two bridges. Reading rooms differentiated by the users' age are in the corner positions and are supplemented with free seating at the facades in the area of the social facilities block. The service information desk is located on the bridge in the center of the layout, from where the librarian has an overview of activities on the floor.
The staff entrance to the building is on the northern facade. Staff offices are located on the ground floor, with a direct connection to the main staircase.
The café is accessible from the front facade, with an alternative entrance from the lobby of the City House.
Due to the hard rock in the foundation, the building uses the existing basement pit of the cinema for its technical facilities; the structures are new. A connecting staircase leads to a corridor in the office section.

Construction structural and material solution
The load-bearing structure of the building is monolithic reinforced concrete; the widths of the sections are 6.5; 5.5 and 6.5 m. The structural height is 3.15m, and the clear height is 2.7m. The partitions are masonry. The interior structures are finished with a white plaster. The facade is ventilated with cladding made of precisely cut white glass-crystalline Glasilex panels. The facade fillings are dark gray aluminum. The floor coverings in the library are made of industrial wooden mosaics treated with oil.

Indoor environment
The building allows for natural horizontal and vertical ventilation. Air conditioning and cooling are not planned. Windows on the eastern, southern, and western facades are shaded by external blinds. Skylights are always shaded by galvanized perforated sheets. The hall is designed to allow for complete blackout. Heating is designed to be activated through concrete cores.

> The complete author's report and competition panels in high resolution can be found here>