XELLA STUDENT COMPETITION 2011 - MEDIA AWARD
LOCATION: PILSEN, CZECH REPUBLIC
TEAM: MARTIN SAFAR, ONDREJ STEHLIK, PAVEL STEUER
LOCATION: PILSEN, CZECH REPUBLIC
TEAM: MARTIN SAFAR, ONDREJ STEHLIK, PAVEL STEUER
PILSEN IS THE FOURTH BIGGEST CZECH CITY WITH 170 000 HABITANTS. DURING THE WORLD WAR TWO, PILSEN WAS ONE OF CZECH CITIES LIBERATED BY THE U.S. ARMY, UNLIKE THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, FREED BY THE SOVIET UNION. THE PILSEN PHILHARMONIC BASED ON 1946 HAS A LONG TRADITION AND A GOOD NAME EVEN OUTSIDE THE CZECH BORDER, BUT WITHOUT A PROPER CONCERT HALL. THIS WAS THE TASK OF A STUDENT COMPETITION WE PARTICIPATED ON. THE DESIGNATED SITE FOR THE NEW PHILHARMONIC HALL WAS CHOSEN NEXT TO AN ELEGANT, FUNCTIONALIST CZECH RADIO BUILDING. THE NEW PHILHARMONIC HALL WAS MEANT TO BE CONNECTED WITH THIS BUILDING, WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO BE EXTENDED IN THE FEATURE BY ANOTHER WING. WE DECIDED TO RELOCATE THE NEW BUILDING AND FIND A NEW PLOT, WHICH WOULD SUIT BETTER FOR A BUILDING SUCH AS A CONCERT HALL.
PHILHARMONIC HALL, AS A DISTINCTIVE OBJECT OF CULTURAL DOMAIN, WHICH REQUIRES AN EXPOSED POSITION IN THE CITY STRUCTURE. IT IS A SOLITAIRE BY ITS NATURE AND REQUIRES A PROPER ADJOINING PUBLIC SPACE.
THEREFORE, WE DECIDED TO BREAK COMPETITION RULES AND SEARCH FOR MORE APPROPRIATE PLOT. SOLUTION IS THE PARK NEARBY WITH A SUFFICIENT SPATIAL RESERVE FOR BOTH PARK AND PHILHARMONIC, WITH DIRECT CONNECTION TO THE MAIN PILSEN AXIS. THE NEW CONCERT HALL IS NOT HIDDEN BETWEEN HOUSING BLOCKS, BUT EXPOSED ON A PROPER SPOT IN THE CITY STRUCTURE
FOR THE ČRO COMPLETION, WE SUGGEST SUBTLE VOLUME WITH AN UNDERGROUND PARKING ( SERVING OUR PHILHARMONIC ), WHICH DOESN’T OVERWHELM THE EXISTING FUNCTIONALIST FORM.
THEREFORE, WE DECIDED TO BREAK COMPETITION RULES AND SEARCH FOR MORE APPROPRIATE PLOT. SOLUTION IS THE PARK NEARBY WITH A SUFFICIENT SPATIAL RESERVE FOR BOTH PARK AND PHILHARMONIC, WITH DIRECT CONNECTION TO THE MAIN PILSEN AXIS. THE NEW CONCERT HALL IS NOT HIDDEN BETWEEN HOUSING BLOCKS, BUT EXPOSED ON A PROPER SPOT IN THE CITY STRUCTURE
FOR THE ČRO COMPLETION, WE SUGGEST SUBTLE VOLUME WITH AN UNDERGROUND PARKING ( SERVING OUR PHILHARMONIC ), WHICH DOESN’T OVERWHELM THE EXISTING FUNCTIONALIST FORM.
CONCERT HALL
THE NEW CONCERT HALL WOULD BE PRIMARILY SERVING AS INTENDED TO ITS ORIGINAL FUNCTION AND WOULD BE OPENED AT MOST SEVERAL TIMES PER WEEK. FOR THE REST OF THE TIME, THE PLACE WOULD BE VISITED JUST SPORADICALLY, BECAUSE THE BUILDING IS NOT PROVIDING ANY OTHER SUPPORTING PROGRAM...
THE NEW CONCERT HALL WOULD BE PRIMARILY SERVING AS INTENDED TO ITS ORIGINAL FUNCTION AND WOULD BE OPENED AT MOST SEVERAL TIMES PER WEEK. FOR THE REST OF THE TIME, THE PLACE WOULD BE VISITED JUST SPORADICALLY, BECAUSE THE BUILDING IS NOT PROVIDING ANY OTHER SUPPORTING PROGRAM...
MEMORIAL
THE NÁMĚSTÍ MÍRU IS A KNOWN MEMORIAL PLACE FOR PILSEN CITIZENS. EVERY YEAR, THE PEOPLE GATHER AROUND AND EVOKE THE LIBERATION OF PILSEN BY THE U.S. ARMY. BUT THE LACK OF FINANCING AND NO ACTIVITIES FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR RESULTS IN A NEGLECTED AND DEVASTATED PLACE.
THE NÁMĚSTÍ MÍRU IS A KNOWN MEMORIAL PLACE FOR PILSEN CITIZENS. EVERY YEAR, THE PEOPLE GATHER AROUND AND EVOKE THE LIBERATION OF PILSEN BY THE U.S. ARMY. BUT THE LACK OF FINANCING AND NO ACTIVITIES FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR RESULTS IN A NEGLECTED AND DEVASTATED PLACE.
MERGE
MERGING TOGETHER BOTH THE MONUMENT AND THE CONCERT HALL WOULD CREATE A NEW SYMBOL FOR THE CITY AND THE PEOPLE. THIS PARTNERSHIP ALLOWS THE CONCERT HALL TO EXPAND WITH NUMEROUS NEW EVENTS AND PROVIDE A DECENT PLACE TO CELEBRATE NOT ONLY MUSIC, BUT THE MEMORIES OF THE PAST AS WELL.
MERGING TOGETHER BOTH THE MONUMENT AND THE CONCERT HALL WOULD CREATE A NEW SYMBOL FOR THE CITY AND THE PEOPLE. THIS PARTNERSHIP ALLOWS THE CONCERT HALL TO EXPAND WITH NUMEROUS NEW EVENTS AND PROVIDE A DECENT PLACE TO CELEBRATE NOT ONLY MUSIC, BUT THE MEMORIES OF THE PAST AS WELL.
Original site traced with dashed line. Newly proposed site in continuous red line.