KOMA opened a unique Development and Innovation Center for Modularity

No right angles, roof at the level of the adjacent roadway. The new building at KOMA's facility breaks down established stereotypes about modular construction. Thanks to the collaboration with the architectural duo Michal Krištof and Ondřej Chybík, they managed to create a unique space with an area of 170 m² using just 6 modules with a trapezoidal floor plan.

REVOLUTION IN MODULAR CONSTRUCTION

The building can be constructed from various materials – bricks, panels, or whole modules. The KOMA Development Innovation Center has pushed this concept further by utilizing and filling the space precisely between the modules. The assignment for the innovation center was to liberate modular architecture from strictly right angles. “We wanted to go beyond right-angle constraints and show other possibilities,” explain the project authors, architects Chybík and Krištof. “Classic modular objects are made up of right-angled modules with maximum width, length, and height due to transport and manufacturing line capabilities. This is precisely why objects are formed by placing one module next to another. Structures duplicate each other on top and beside one another. The system is excellent for a specific purpose, but if the investor has a non-right-angled plot, or wants a space with a character other than right angles, greater height or width, they are limited to some extent,” says architect Michal Krištof.

The entire concept is emphasized by color – all modules inside are matte black and hide complete facilities from technical rooms, through changing rooms, kitchenettes, sanitary facilities, to multimedia equipment or showrooms. In contrast, the spaces between the modules create a spacious open space in a contrasting white color utilizing perforated sheet metal, design inspired by the appearance of a laboratory. To allow flexible use of the space, a sophisticated system of white curtains has been created inside, which can transform the space into individual offices or open it for conferences. “The furniture is also modular, it can be changed according to the interior layout,” adds Martin Hart. Two pyramids with a high ceiling height topped with skylights contribute to supporting creative activities. These pyramids emerge from the green roof. “This roof is at the level of the adjacent roadway, so the Development Center does not disrupt the dominant view of the EXPO pavilion,” says Hart.

CENTER FOR MODULAR CONSTRUCTION

As KOMA has demonstrated in the past, it is moving towards increasingly demanding projects. Evidence of this is not only the mentioned EXPO pavilion but also, for example, the first modular hospital pavilion in the Czech Republic or the delivery of modular airports to Senegal. “It is necessary to respond to tightening legislative requirements and other challenges characterized by the slogans – digital company, circular economy, sustainability, modularity…,” says Ing. Martin Hart, head of the Development and Innovation Center for Modularity. The future of modularity will be created within this building, hence it will serve as the brain of KOMA Modular products. The task is to innovate currently existing product lines, devise special and demanding projects, or organize conferences across sectors where modularity can find its application.

A total of 12 jobs have been created in the innovation center not only for KOMA Modular staff but also for specialists and externals from various fields, whom KOMA wants to involve in individual projects. Another activity is the School of Modularity, which aims to connect various fields through modular ideas, inspire each other, and contribute to a circular understanding of the economy.