Architect Pavel Horák used FERMACELL materials for the commercial building in Kunice

The wooden structure of the building in Kunice is designed as a facility and headquarters for a company that deals with the production and sale of chains and gears. At first glance, the seemingly illogical connection between steel and wood arose from the creator's intention – Ing. Arch. Pavel Horák from the architectural studio Prodesi – but the goal was to design a friendly, representative building with references to traditional industrial architecture (exposed truss beams, skylight...). In the compositions of the outer walls, internal load-bearing walls, and ceilings, FERMACELL fiber-cement materials were used.

According to architect Pavel Horák, this technology was evaluated at the time as the best solution while maintaining the concept of wooden construction and meeting all requirements for building physics, fire safety, and statics for this type of building. Likewise, the investor welcomed the offer to use FERMACELL and appreciated, as a future user, the ability to suspend heavier loads (e.g., samples of chains) directly onto FERMACELL panels without the need for additional reinforcements. Regarding the choice of technology, Ing. Arch. Pavel Horák stated: “Also, due to the limited budget, we were looking for a simple and functional solution while ensuring favorable economic parameters. The composition used exhibits a minimum of layers, and e.g., the internal layer not only serves a structural function but also a visual or aesthetic one.”

The building is divided into three functional units: storage, production, and administrative parts. The production and administrative areas are located in a single-story hall building covered with gabled wooden trusses, while the storage is situated in an elevated cubic mass, also covered with wooden trusses of the same type but in this case with a sloped shape. Since the building is located not far behind Prague in close proximity to the D1 highway, the storage mass was also planned to serve as a natural large eye-catcher. Additionally, the storage area is naturally illuminated by a corner daylight window, which then allows artificial lighting inside to illuminate the storage at night, further drawing attention to this building. Colorwise, the building is designed in a contrasting composition of dark gray plaster for the hall part and snow-white plaster for the storage cube, which serves as a background for corporate graphics. This is complemented by wooden cladding on some smaller parts (entrance vestibule and skylight). A lookout platform is planned on the roof of the storage, which will be accessible by a spiral hot-dip galvanized staircase located outside the facade of the storage. From this platform, there is a nice view not only of the D1 highway and the logistics areas nearby but also south into the open countryside. Within the building (given its location), a kitchenette has also been designed with the option of dining. In the summer months, the previously mentioned lookout platform can also be used for dining.

The hall part is designed as a single-story structure built on concrete strips. The load-bearing structure consists of wooden posts from a frame structure clad on both sides with FERMACELL boards. The same principle is used for the storage building and internal load-bearing walls. The internal load-bearing walls primarily serve as stiffening elements in the vertical direction, but they are also positioned between rooms, thus fulfilling a dividing function. The insulation of the building consists of mineral insulation between the posts and an external contact insulation system. The roof of the hall part is covered with dark gray trapezoidal metal sheets. The cube of the storage features a single-layer flat roof structure, with the slope arranged within the upper chord of the trusses. Heating and hot water supply are provided by a gas boiler. Heating is ensured by panel radiators located under the windows in individual rooms. For easier and more flexible low-voltage wiring, an installation channel is made throughout the building, allowing for operational solutions such as computer network setups.

The name of the building's author, Ing. Arch. Pavel Horák, does not need to be introduced for long to experts in the field of wooden structures. From the first year, for example, he has significantly contributed to the organization of the project Salon dřevostaveb, a unique non-competitive showcase of architecturally interesting wooden buildings. The work of Pavel Horák and his colleagues from the specialized architectural studio for wooden structures – Prodesi – was also followed in the case of the wooden structure in Kunice by the specialized contracting company Domesi. Both companies work as one team from the initial sketches up to the handover of keys to the completed building and thus represent a unique alternative for investors of all kinds of buildings utilizing wood. The mutual cooperation between the two specialized companies guarantees a single partner throughout the preparatory and execution phases of the project.

Commercial Building Kunice
Author: Prodesi - Pavel Horák
Cooperation: Eva Chroustovská, Lukáš Pejsar
Lead Designer: Karel Votoupal
Execution: 2007 - 2008
Investor: Domes CZ, s. r. o.
Main Tenant: CONTRA Praha, s. r. o.
Supplier: Domesi, s. r. o.