<p>Completely normal building</p>

The question of building in the so-called passive standard divides architects into two opinion camps. Some see it as the right direction for future construction. Others approach passive houses with many prejudices and repeat established clichés, whether they are based on truth or not; after all, a passive house is expensive, it means significant limitations for both the architect and the user in its design and operation, and the very question of meeting the criteria of passivity is a matter of easily manipulable calculations, with reality potentially differing from them. Between these two opinions lies space for a significantly smaller group of creators who can keep a cool head and design a house that operationally corresponds to the current trend of significantly reducing energy consumption, while architecture itself is not a secondary concern for them. And it is precisely one of such houses that has just been completed in Ostrava.

The best way to get rid of prejudices is to debunk them with convincing examples. This is exactly the step that the company Intoza took. At the forefront of this successful construction firm, which focuses among other things on the construction of passive houses, is Tomáš Závada, who can justly be called a visionary. The new headquarters of Intoza was to reflect the company's philosophy, being a standalone reference that represents the best the company can do. It also aimed to show the way that construction should take in the future. Several model passive houses and ecological training centers have already been built in our country. However, Intoza is the first domestic passive administrative building.
Architect Radim Václavík appreciates moderation and simplicity. His houses always manage to surprise with an almost ascetic appearance at first glance, beneath which lies a range of quality and refined details. Designing cheap and seemingly simple houses does not mean less work for architect Václavík. The sophistication of his designs is also evidenced by the high level of commitment he demonstrates, which he then channels into his favorite sport, rugby. His significant realizations often end with a visit to the hospital. At the opening ceremony of Intoza, it was no different – he spent it seated with his leg in a horizontal position.

The Contrast of Normalcy
Storage halls and yards and a huge industrial plant. Such is the context in which something seemingly out of place attracts attention. A simple clean white block with a regular grid of windows, contrasting with the gray, rust, and disorder of the surroundings. An immediate comparison springs to mind with another house that I know well. The Kopřivnice hotel Olympia, designed by architect Kamil Mrva, which contrasts similarly with its brutalist surroundings due to its cleanliness, simplicity, and comparable scale. Intoza is simply a house that cannot be overlooked. An unexpected oasis of normalcy in a dismal environment. A promise that its context may eventually change for the better.

The sober, compact shape of the building arises from the requirement for the lowest possible energy consumption. The regular grid of windows transitions into a formal game in places where missing openings in the plaster are replaced with green rectangles. The emphasis on missing windows, however, primarily expresses one of the principles of energy-efficient building design, the reduction of window openings on less sunny sides. Likewise, the protruding porous staircase leading to the roof and dominating the northern façade raises initial doubts about the necessity of emphasizing this purely utilitarian element. However, the roof contains a solar power plant, weather station, and other technologies that will be essential for elucidating the principles of this building's operation. Therefore, the staircase is also an element pointing to the building's main mission of being not just an administrative building but primarily a training center. Its dominant appearance will in the future be softened by climbing plants that will cascade down to the ground.
The austere expression of the building is pleasantly balanced by the details. The recessed lobby in the entrance façade, which is part of the director's office, the pleasant profiling of the wooden cladding on the ground floor, or the rounded corner softening the building's shape and showcasing the high quality of craftsmanship.

Unexpected Interior
In contrast to the almost ascetic exterior, the interior design is surprisingly sophisticated. In a passive house, rationally conceived layouts and minimization of all auxiliary and communication spaces can be expected. In the case of Intoza, however, these auxiliary spaces clearly show a commitment to creating the most pleasant environment for both employees and visitors. Emphasis is placed on bringing natural daylight all the way to the central hallway. On the ground floor of the building, where there is a large training room in addition to the entrance and technical facilities, glass niches have been created in the walls of the hallway around the internal load-bearing columns. On the other floors, the hallways form a common space rather than a mere communication corridor, which expands at both ends of the building due to one curved wall. Thus, a space with a kitchen for relaxation is created on one end, while an expanded space, through which a circular shaft passes through all floors, culminates in the ceiling of the top floor with three skylights. The view through this “path to light” is particularly striking from the entrance hall. It is just a pity that one does not register it immediately upon entering the building, as it is outside one's line of sight – however, the impression of the surprising glimpse upward is all the stronger afterwards. Light is introduced into the common areas through windows and glass doors of all offices, which further aids in connecting all spaces into one whole.
The materials and colors of the interior are similarly restrained as the exterior of the building. The surfaces are dominated by white plaster, complemented by areas in various shades of gray, exposed concrete, and accents of green color. The social areas on the ground floor are connected by wooden flooring, while the higher floors are cozier with carpets. Perhaps the only aspect that appears overly utilitarian is the air conditioning ducts suspended beneath the concrete ceiling of the main training room. According to the design, a perforated ceiling was to be installed, but this was ultimately not realized.

Automation Not at Any Cost
The efforts to minimize costs for the realization and operation of the building are reflected in the technologies used. The house was built as a masonry skeleton using prefabricated reinforced concrete elements. As a result, its construction took only one year. Careful design and construction of the details of the building's outer shell were emphasized, thereby minimizing heat losses through conduction. Water heating and controlled ventilation with recovery are designed with regard to the thermal gains from occupants and office equipment. The main source of heating and cooling is a heat pump, and hot water heating is supplemented with solar collectors. To prevent overheating, the house is shielded by an intelligent system of external blinds, which, along with an intelligent method of regulating internal artificial lighting, are controlled using data from the weather station on the roof of the building. Electric energy for the house is provided by photovoltaic panels on the roof. Given the intention to use the house as a reference building and training center, the roof is freely accessible, as is the technical room on the ground floor with carefully labeled technological devices. However, the fully automated operation of the passive house technology often raises doubts about the comfort of the indoor environment from a psychological perspective. Therefore, individual technologies can be manually adjusted. And the Intoza building also disproves one of the most common prejudices against passive buildings – the windows can be opened, even though natural ventilation is not essential for the quality of the indoor environment.
Passive construction usually raises questions regarding higher costs of realization. In the case of Intoza, the costs were just 5,100 CZK/m³ (25,000 CZK/m²), which corresponds to the volumetric price of a cheap family house. The projected total annual costs for heating, cooling, and hot water heating of the facility are only 50–60,000 CZK. However, as is typical for passive houses, this amount will depend on how the house is actually used.

It is precisely the unconventional solution of this building that raises questions about whether and to what extent all the assumptions regarding not only operational costs but also user satisfaction will be fulfilled. Perhaps that is why the building has been named The Question Mark. The client, architect, and users and visitors of the building, however, are currently full of optimism. Everything suggests that Intoza will not only become a truly functioning reference but also an important building that shows the direction in which similar construction should head. Architect Radim Václavík modestly confirms this when he says that it is essentially “a completely normal building.” Perhaps it would just be good to add the word quality to that.