Another industrial building has been put back into the circulation in Prague’s emerging Smíchov district. Even though it became detached from its original function quite some time before the renovation, the building still honors and evokes its past in several details.
Five Building originally functioned as a tram depot, however, the building completely lost contact with the tram network during the transformation of Prague’s public transport network. It stood abandoned and unused for a long time, but with the district’s ongoing development process it was obvious that soon it would be its turn to shine again. Ultimately the building was acquired by pharmaceutical company MSD, whocommissioned architecture studio Quarta with the renovation project.
The first aspect that had to be taken into consideration during design was the set of uneven spatial and vertical qualities of the building – the architects needed to determine a new floorplan and height, too.
They preserved both street façades of the old building and refurbished them. The entrance is easy to access for pedestrians, and does not open directly to the offices, but to a shopping and restaurant space. Here they paid a great deal of attention to emphasizing original details like the metal-concrete double façade or the system of pipes running under the ceiling.
The most frequented part of the building is of course the roof terrace, with a view over the most important monuments of Prague – the Castle, the National Theater and the Vyšehrad. If they wish to work in the fresh air, those working in the building can come up here with their laptops, too, as the terrace has been fitted with a lot of seats suitable for both working and relaxing.
Quarta Architektura | Web | Facebook | Instagram
Photos: BoysPlayNice
Source: Linka News
Harmony of nature and lighting | Plydesign X Nieto Light
HIGHLIGHTS | Posters, prints, billboards
