A1: Iva Potůčková - Karlovo Square

Assignment — The theme of the semester project was to reevaluate the competition for the Charles Square object in Karlovo náměstí.
I concluded that the problem of Karlovo náměstí cannot be solved merely by transforming the corner building in its southern part, but it is necessary to address the square as a whole.    
Since the 14th century, a chapel of the Holy Body stood at the center of the square, which was its focal point and a significant pilgrimage site. At the end of the 18th century, it was demolished, and the square acquired the character of an open space.
In my design, I rearticulate the dominant feature of the square and erect a tent-like structure over the foundations of the chapel. I create a new dominant feature at the intersection of Ječná and Resslova Streets.
I unite the park with the object and connect its northern and southern parts. The tent serves as a pedestrian intersection for both parts of the park, Ječná Street, and the exit from the metro station.
The transportation solution responds to the created space, and traffic (trams, cars) is led one-way around the perimeter of the square with underground garages in the eastern part.    
The functional content of the object is a museum and the roofing of the excavations of the chapel of the Holy Body. The museum, which operates as a freely accessible public space, is equipped with services in the ground floor and allows for viewing the foundations of the chapel.
In the upper floors, there is an art gallery, a lecture room, and a viewpoint over the square. The atrium in the center of the object allows for a clear view from the upper floors to the excavations in showcases on the ground floor.    
The semester project culminated in a structural solution of the object during the final exam. I addressed the task at three levels: Load-bearing system, exhibition system, and roof envelope.

Load-bearing system consists of a cable polygon - chain. Individual floors in the shape of rings are suspended at their inner and outer periphery on steel components. At the inner perimeter, there are compression rods, and at the outer, there are tension cables. The compressive load is transferred to a reinforced concrete mast in the center of the object. The vertical load-bearing system is reinforced by horizontal steel profiles along the perimeter of the individual floors.

Exhibition system consists of openings in the floor that allow for any anchoring of the exhibition on rods with a cross-section of 6 cm. The joining of the rods operates on the principle of scaffolding tubes and allows panels to be arranged in various ways, including in the form of curves. The system is fully demountable.

Roof envelope consists of a multi-layer membrane made of glass fibers with a PTFE surface treatment. The thermal protection of the building is ensured by translucent thermal insulation anchored to the inner load-bearing membrane. The translucent insulation is capable of allowing 20% of daylight to pass through and prevents the passage of ultraviolet radiation, which could damage the exhibited artifacts. At night, the tent becomes a luminous object in the middle of the square.