Municipal Office Hluchov

Historical object of a Renaissance fortress transformed into a Baroque castle and in the 19th century used as storage and administrative facilities for the Drahanovice sugar factory, whose original proportions are still evident today, especially from the courtyard wing, has been modified in the past to have a civilian character. The street façade underwent simplification and modification to better align its scale with the expression of architecture emerging in the mid-20th century. At that time, the Municipal National Committee was based here, and the agricultural cooperative had its offices here, resulting in a space for educational discussions being created through the adjustment of the layout. It should be noted that considering the history of the village and the significance of individual historical buildings in the region, this is a locally significant object. Therefore, it was desirable to respect all layers of the building's history, maintain its current functional usage, and sensitively reconstruct or adapt its individual parts for the needs of the municipal office and community hall.

In the context of the village, it is an important historical and social object with the potential for further development in the surrounding community.

The design is based on the requirement of the Hluchov municipality to adjust the neglected state of the building. This also involves suitable division of operational rooms to meet the function of the municipal office. The office's offices were located on the 2nd floor, and due to current demands for accessibility and clear operation of the building, the existing scheme was no longer adequate. Therefore, the operation was reconfigured - the municipal office's agenda is now located on the first floor, while purely public and community rooms are situated on the second floor. For the comfortable operation of both floors, we proposed the addition of restrooms on two levels in the form of proportionate extension. This annex of the building materially recalls the original outline of the dilapidated wing, which today is only evident by a fragment of a wall.
The ground floor has been "cleansed of constructions" supporting the statically compromised ribbed vault, and by remedying this defect, a dignified entrance space was achieved.

Given the condition of the historic structure, it was necessary to carry out the remediation of damp masonry on the ground floor and the static stabilization of certain defects in the building. The roof structure was in a delicate state, which, according to professional inspection and assessment of its elements, had been suffering from long-term leaks. By decision of the municipal council, the roof was replaced with a new one.

For the renovation of the building, this conceptual approach was chosen: by using high-quality new elements and materials in combination with a sober "cleaning" of the building, the object will be transformed into a civil, open, confident institution. It is hoped that due to this approach, the building will also "age" well in the future. The historical character of the object is emphasized by preserved historical fragments (sandstone window sills, cornices, vaults), windows, assembled roofing, and light plaster. From newer modifications, the building retains the simplified cubist character of the cornices from the 1950s, and the entrances to the building are newly accentuated by subtly protruding frames made of sandstone slabs. The new volume of the operational extension is distinguished by the structuring of the façade.