About the project
Kuba & Pilař architects
The renowned Brno studio Kuba & Pilař architects was commissioned to design two new buildings. Academic architect Ladislav Kuba and Ing. arch. Tomáš Pilař have been awarded many times for their progressive designs and realisations, among others in the Grand Prix of Czech Architects competition - in 2002 for the library of the Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University in Brno and in 2009 for the campus of the Faculty of Chemical Technology and Physical Engineering of the University of Pardubice. Currently, it is one of the most appreciated Czech studio.
"Our aim was to build on the architectural, social and aesthetic quality of the place. The main problem was the material continuity of the new buildings with the original restaurant of the architect Urban, which is at the centre of the site and its observation tower is its dominant feature. In our architectural design we responded to this by creating two buildings that are deliberately different in shape - a trapezoid and a wave tower, but both buildings respect the level of the cornice of the existing restaurant building," explains Acad. Arch. Ladislav Kuba.
The architects have not forgotten to take ecology and sustainability into account in the new buildings. "In particular, we focused on naturally eliminating the need for cooling and on water management. Both buildings have green expansive roofs that retain rainwater while naturally preventing overheating of the apartments on the top floors. Several rainwater retention tanks are located on the site. The atrium in the northern building is planted with mature trees, which contribute to cooling and improving the microclimate. The trees in the atrium are automatically irrigated with water from the retention tanks. Shading elements on the facades of both buildings effectively prevent overheating of the interior spaces. Recycleable materials are used in both buildings," says Acad. Arch. Ladislav Kuba.
Trapezoid-shaped apartment house
The construction of the apartment building in the northern part of the complex is conceived in a contrasting dark silver colour with sharp continuities of the walls - this accentuates the relationship of the building to the bedrock, over which it forms a floating cantilevered overlapping body. The height of this three-storey building also respects the cornice of the original restaurant building - thus preserving and emphasising the dominant role of the restaurant building and the lookout tower.
The specific solution is the pre-set façade made of metal sliding shutters - it serves to shield and prevent overheating of the interior while maintaining visual contact with the exterior. In the corner apartments on the top floor, the loggias are placed in the front bay windows with a view of the Vltava River and the city centre. A distinctive architectural and structural element are the planted consoles with panoramic views on the top floor of the building.
A very pleasant space consists of a quiet residential atrium inside the building, which is vertically treated around the perimeter with atypical lighting fixtures made of Copilit marking the entrances to the individual apartments. The building has a total of 45 apartments with layouts ranging from 1+kk to 4+kk. The apartments are specific in detail with well thought out layouts. Each apartment includes dominant and generous windows that occupy the entire floor height. Most of the apartments also have spacious loggias. There are 16 parking spaces directly in the basement of "Trapezoid-shaped apartment house", with additional parking spaces available in the underground parking under the courtyard and the above-ground parking of the complex.
Equipment of apartments
- Fully equipped kitchen with storage spaces
- Three-layer solid wood floors in living rooms
- Large-format windows with thermal insulation triple glazing
- Equipped with branded appliances
- Italian tiles in the bathroom
- Security entrance door
- Wardrobe
- Videphone