Czech architecture and urban design practice CHYBIK + KRISTOF has won an architectural competition to design a new school in Stara Boleslav in the Czech Republic.

The 14,827-square-metre school will accommodate up to 900 students from 16 municipalities. 

The project embraces a flexible approach so that the school can allow to evolve in the future according to current needs. 

The building with its green atria opens to views of local dominants. According to CHYBIK + KRISTOF, the funding for the building will be provided by the municipalities themselves, which are due to the small number of inhabitants unable to build a school on their own. 

Considering views from its surroundings, the new Primary School in Stará Boleslav creates a teaching space with a ubiquitous reference to its location. 

The architects have designed a linear, low-rise structure to fit into the surrounding buildings and complemented by vertical green atriums. 

In a flexible layout, the school's internal space combines educational, sporting, and cultural elements without clear boundaries. The school will be built by using rational and simple prefabricated concrete and timber structures, allowing for rapid construction and the ability to adapt to the changing needs of the education system.

Safe harbor for education

Set to be built in the eastern part of the town, where it will become a center of education, culture, and sport for children from the surrounding villages and the public, the low-rise building fits into the fabric of the city. While the school is partly open to the public, but the school's grounds are separated from the public space, ensuring a closed and safe environment. 

"Students will be able to use not only the classrooms overlooking the historic part of the city with its basilicas but also the outdoor spaces and the garden," said CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

The school's enclosed garden consists of a central courtyard with terraces divided by height, which serve as outdoor classrooms and an auditorium. 

"The generous main residence garden includes an open grassy area reserved for events for students and the public." 

"In addition to the playground, the space provides sports facilities in the form of an athletic oval, adjacent bleachers, and a workout court," the firm added. 

Behind the grandstand, the studio has added outdoor growing areas and an orchard of fruit trees with simple gardens to house the school caretaker and other staff.

The school has three floors. The interconnected set of educational and sports functions is complemented by a canteen with a kitchen designed not only for students and teachers but also for serving food to the general public. 

As a social and cultural center, the school auditorium provides an acoustically comfortable space, which is accessible through a separate entrance and offers the possibility of holding meetings, theatre performances, concerts, and other public events.

"We aimed to design an environment that can adapt to changing educational requirements," said Ondrej Chybik, practice co-founder of the CHYBIK + KRISTOF studio.

For material approach, the architects decided to use a precast concrete frame in combination with a timber structure, which allows for flexibility of interior spaces and rapid construction. 

They divided the façade into solid and glazed areas, with large-format windows and perforated green façade panels providing classroom ventilation and security. 

Also, large undivided windows between the classrooms and the corridor provide glimpses of the action in these spaces. The interiors are further characterized by an exposed concrete frame and wooden walls.

The studio said that "the efficient and dynamic operation of the building will be taken care of by a master control system. Cooling and heating of the school will be provided by heat pumps and each classroom will have its heating capacity control." 

"Electricity for the operation of the building will be generated by rooftop photovoltaic panels." 

Collected rainwater is planned to be used for horticultural activities, while retention tanks and a well will be used for sustainable water management. 

The glazed areas of the façade, equipped with external shading, together with the planned greenery, vegetation, and retention roofs will contribute to regulating the temperature of the building, helping to cool the surroundings and reduce the risk of heat island. 

Furthermore, by optimizing the infrastructure networks for the various teaching spaces, the negative environmental impact of the building will be minimized.

CHYBIK + KRISTOF designed a historic greenhouse with glass and steel structure to adhere to the principles of scientist and abbot Gregor Mendel’s legacy in modern genetics in the heart of Brno. The firm also proposed a hybrid, prototype design to tackle with the ever-present housing crisis that big cities face with. 

The studio won a design competition to convert a former textile factory into a new contemporary art gallery and cultural space in the Czech Republic.

Project facts

Year: 2023

Type: education

Area: 14 827 m²

Investment: 63 000 000 EUR

Status: competition proposal (1st place)

Location: Stara Boleslav

Team: Ondrej Chybik, Michal Kristof, Jiri Richter, Natalia Korpasova, Daniela Pisingerova, Martin Holy, Martin Iglesias, Ondrej Zvak, Viktor Makara, Lucija Ritosa

Collaboration

Landscape architecture: Tomas Babka

Educational consultant: Michal Cerny

Engineering: AED project, a.s.

All images courtesy of CHYBIK + KRISTOF. 

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CHYBIK + KRISTOF educational building school