The basement of the small one-story building, formerly used for laundryand storage, now houses a space for exhibitions, lectures, andconcerts, as well as it accommodates Franz Kafka`s private library. Onthe first level of the building the Franz Kafka Society has located itsoffices. The previously dark and dismal spaces of the building are nowwashed in daylight coming through newly inserted windows and skylightsthat provide unexpected views to the towers of the Maisel Synagogue.Marcela Steinbachová {Skupina} and Steven Holl Architects havedeliberately situated these windows off axis to the interiors. Insidethe building new visual connections through openings and inspectionholes give its small spaces depth and create visual connections.

All new partitioning in the building, even when carving out spaces forrestrooms and a kitchenette, is created exclusively by book shelves. Inone half of the building these bookshelves appear in white {offices}and the other half is filled with black bookshelves {entry hall}.Coming from the central corridor one only sees black bookshelves andwhen coming from the offices one encounters white bookshelves. A360-degree rotating door between the corridor and the director`soffices, black on one side and white on the other, reverses white toblack

The flat roof of the courtyard building will be covered with cementtiles displaying the plan of the former Jewish Quarter before itsdemolition in 1896. This open-air rooftop space will be used forconcerts and exhibitions during summer. The courtyard and the courtyardbuilding are accessed through the Franz Kafka bookstore and referencelibrary both interiors designed by Marcela Steinbachová {Skupina}
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