Zlin Architecture, Czech Republic : Information + Images

Completed building photos from Eva Jiricna Architects May 2008 building images © Ivan Nemec Zlin Congress Centre - Building information from Eva Jiricna Architects Jun 2007 Congress Centre and Library Buildings: Zlin, Czech Republic The new complex buildings are located in downtown Zlin and consist of a Congress Centre for the City and Library for the University of Tomas Bata. The setting of both buildings is a response to the surrounding urban axis and local massing of adjacent buildings. Each building is located on a very restrictive plot owned by various institutions. Their orientation and organic shapes allow the buildings to ‘peel’ away from each other, creating their own identity whilst being set in a unifying landscape. Zlin Congress Centre The oval Congress Centre consists of two levels of underground parking, a main auditorium seating 850 and a smaller one for 80 seats, three levels of associated facilities and restaurant for 150 diners. The external glazed façade is a response to the micro environment. With the North Western elevation facing a busy main road a secondary series of acoustic screens consisting of glass and concrete act as a baffle, whilst the remaining façade consists of external solar louvres. The roof has an exoskeleton containing the environmental plant, this being covered in a fine stressed stainless steel mesh that allows both venting and screening, as it can be observed from above. Zlin Library Building The University of Tomas Bata building is composed of two main volumes with a large communal atrium in between. One volume is the university library on five levels for approximately 440 students, the other for the University Administrative Centre accommodating approximately 60 employees. There are two underground levels containing technical services and parking. Both of the buildings are connected by a common glass atrium which is used for horizontal circulation linked to glazed vertical cores at each end of the building. Both the internal and external facades are clad in glass, allowing the occupants to work and study in a fresh, light environment. Environmentally the buildings use a passive system based on a concrete hollow core floor that absorbs the heat produced by IT systems and general usage. The external façade consists of modular glazing and horizontal solar shading. Architect: Eva Jiricna Architects Ltd Affiliated Architect: A.I.Design sro.