Mýtna 25 - reconstruction and extension Bratislava

Location of the building
The location of the residential building M25 is at Mýtna Street No. 25 in Bratislava, in the wider city center, in a gap between the administrative building Mýtna 23 and the residential building Mýtna 27. The original building is not listed in the national registry of listed heritage sites.

Investor's intention
The investor's intention was to construct small-sized apartments that will be used for rent and will become part of the MyHome apartment complex, located in the courtyard behind the Mýtna 25 building.

Architectural solution
The original building with three above-ground floors and an unused attic was extended by three above-ground floors (including the attic). The two upper floors protrude away from Mýtna Street. From a pedestrian's viewpoint, the original volume remains unchanged. The 5th and 6th above-ground floors are virtually imperceptible from the street level. Vertical slats in front of the windows of the extended floors create a homogeneous grid that replaces the original roof plane as an architectural new form, clearly legible yet respecting the original architecture of the building, which has been conservatively reconstructed while preserving all original stylistic elements. Overall, the architectural solution is based on the contrast between the original and the "new" with a clearly legible boundary formed by the horizontal edge of the crown cornice towards Mýtna Street and the vertical line of the new elevator shaft and the protruding console of the extended floors from the courtyard side. The mass of the console formed by the three extended floors creates a characteristic architectural element, clearly defining the boundary between the original and new parts of the building.

Spatial-operational solution
The functional purpose of the building remains unchanged. The extension added additional residential units, and the overall distribution structure of apartments on each floor has changed.
The main entrance to the residential building is oriented into the courtyard, directly connected to the newly built parking lot.
The investor's requirement was to create more small-sized apartments, which governed the overall spatial-operational concept of the building. The necessity to retain the existing staircase significantly influenced the layout of each floor. The original gable roof with the unused attic was removed. The extension created three additional above-ground floors. Thus, the original building with three above-ground floors and an attic was transformed into a building with six above-ground floors. Each floor of the original building contained one apartment unit. Except for the 1st and 6th above-ground floors, two apartments were constructed on each floor, accessible from the landing of the existing staircase, which was extended. The addition of the elevator shaft provided apartments on the 4th, 5th, and 6th floors with direct elevator access. Due to the necessity of retaining the staircase, the apartments on the 2nd and 3rd floors are accessible by the elevator from the intermediate landing via one staircase arm. The position of the existing staircase and the overall economic demands of the entire reconstruction did not allow for other solutions. Through the reconstruction of the original building, its extension, and the addition, ten residential units (originally three apartments) were created, for which parking spaces were built in the courtyard area.

Structural solution
From a spatial perspective, the main challenge of the design was the completion of the elevator shaft and the completion of additional apartments within the extended floors. Retaining the original building meant a significant intervention in its load-bearing structural components. The creation of a console encompassing the 4th to 6th floors, oriented towards the courtyard of the residential building, resulted in fully functional apartment units accessible from the level of the elevator stations. At the same time, an interesting architectural element emerged, characterizing the entire extension and clearly distinguishing it from the mass of the original structure. From a static point of view, this is a relatively demanding solution, which was preceded by a static survey of the original masonry with the implementation and evaluation of load-bearing wall probes as required by the static designer Ing. Jozef Baran.

Conclusion
Through the reconstruction, completion, and extension of the Mýtna 25 building in Bratislava, a modern residential building was created with ten small-sized apartments of middle category. The architectural solution respects the original architectural values of the building, which are complemented by new forms of the extension and completion. The newly built structures are acknowledged and legible. The original and new structures mutually respect each other and together create a whole that does not disrupt the surrounding environment.