RECONSTRUCTION OF SOVOVY MLÝNY IN PRAGUE

3rd place in an architectural competition in 1998
authors Petr Burian, Petr Hájek, Tomáš Hradečný, Jan Šépka

The underlying principle of the study is to respect the existing structure of Sovovy mlýny with distinct gables, which is a dominating feature of the location. A new horizontal structure is inserted into the original space of the removed utility building. Unlike the current solution, the new design opens a view of the Old Town and the Vltava River from the inner courtyard. The new structure is designed as a house – a wall with five large windows and is used for short-term exhibitions. A café with adaptable layout for organising social events is designed in the section facing the river. The new structure is perceived as an unprocessed piece of rock with precisely milled cubes that intersect and join in various places. Some of these cubes protrude from the surface as large openings and are used as windows. Each of the walls has one opening framing a particular view. The external cladding on the building uses black dressed basalt strips, while the interior walls are finished in polished concrete.