Pardubice has architectural designs for a new building of the elementary art school

Pardubice – Pardubice has three architectural designs for the new building of the elementary art school, which were appreciated by the jury. In the new building, instructors will offer classes in dance, music, fine arts, and literary-drama fields, and it will have social spaces for organizing cultural events. The school will be located in the largest Pardubice housing estate, Polabiny, and it is expected to be attended by up to 1200 students, the municipal office announced in a press release.

The jury selected from 12 applications and chose eight architectural teams to develop a competition proposal. The jury rated the work of the cooperating architectural firms Studio Perspektiv and Grido the highest, along with the proposal from the studio Med Pavlík architekti. The third prize was awarded to the company TŘI.ČTRNÁCT architekti. The most suitable proposal will be selected by the city next year.

"Each of the awarded proposals approached the school’s issues differently, from various concepts of building placement and connections in the area, to functional layout solutions and material concepts. The selection of the most suitable proposal, or rather of the developer of all levels of project documentation for the building, will emerge from the subsequent negotiation process that we are preparing for the first quarter of next year,” said Deputy Mayor Jakub Rychtecký.

The main workplace of the ZUŠ is currently located in a building with commercial rent. The Polabiny school currently does not have a single location; its students have to attend multiple places. For over 50 years, it has had classrooms spread across Polabiny. "The situation greatly complicates collaboration between different fields and teachers and the natural development of the school. Therefore, we are very grateful to the founder, the statutory city of Pardubice, for recognizing this strong need for a new shared building along with us," said Jiří Kabát, director of ZUŠ Pardubice-Polabiny.

The new school is planned to be built on municipal land on Stavbařů street. Currently, the Svítání Elementary School and Practical School are located there, which will vacate the premises as they have new facilities in the city center. The old building will be demolished, and a new school will be constructed in its place.

"The school should be open and friendly to families with small children, not closed, full of restrictions, forcing mothers with small children to wait for siblings outside in the winter. It should provide comfort and the possibility to teach and perform with large ensembles," said director Kabát.

The new building is estimated to cost about 220 million crowns, and the city hopes to obtain subsidies. Architectural designs, including models, are on display at the ZUŠ building at Lonkova 510 until December 6th.