Info Center Prague 1
Reconstruction of part of the ground floor of the historic building of the former Sekuritas insurance company, now the building of the Prague 1 municipal district on Vodičkova Street, includes the relocation of the Information Office and the mailroom, and the placement of new offices for transport administrative agenda. The goal of the project was to create new office spaces in the historic building that meet the requirements for a healthy working environment, fulfill the vision of an open and transparent office that is friendly to the residents of the municipal district, and at the same time respect the existing spaces and valuable architectural elements of the building from 1927.
The layout respects the original load-bearing elements; only the later additions and partitions were removed. Valuable historical elements such as terrazzo flooring, brass display cases, or wooden cladding of the display windows were restored with respect and care. The historic load-bearing walls were covered with a new, hand-crafted, and waxed elegant plaster to maintain a visible difference between the new and the old. New elements are visibly distinguished. The reduced height of the new partitions allows daylight to penetrate from the original roof lights, ensuring effective ventilation of all workspaces. For separate offices, the partitions were closed with glass transom lights.
New doors are hidden in the partitions and made of stained plywood with a rolled veneer. The lighting fixtures were supplied by Czech companies, as well as the office furniture.
The original vision of the office as an open institution was supported by restoring the original display cases with mahogany cladding, cleaning them from notice boards and panels, and opening views into the office spaces and outside. This was also made possible by the installation of new interactive bulletin boards facing Vodičkova Street. However, this idea eventually proved to be too progressive, and over time the office gradually covered the display cases again, often just with empty panels in an attempt to hide from the eyes of passersby.
The layout respects the original load-bearing elements; only the later additions and partitions were removed. Valuable historical elements such as terrazzo flooring, brass display cases, or wooden cladding of the display windows were restored with respect and care. The historic load-bearing walls were covered with a new, hand-crafted, and waxed elegant plaster to maintain a visible difference between the new and the old. New elements are visibly distinguished. The reduced height of the new partitions allows daylight to penetrate from the original roof lights, ensuring effective ventilation of all workspaces. For separate offices, the partitions were closed with glass transom lights.
New doors are hidden in the partitions and made of stained plywood with a rolled veneer. The lighting fixtures were supplied by Czech companies, as well as the office furniture.
The original vision of the office as an open institution was supported by restoring the original display cases with mahogany cladding, cleaning them from notice boards and panels, and opening views into the office spaces and outside. This was also made possible by the installation of new interactive bulletin boards facing Vodičkova Street. However, this idea eventually proved to be too progressive, and over time the office gradually covered the display cases again, often just with empty panels in an attempt to hide from the eyes of passersby.
Sodomka Sodomková Architekti
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