Results of the Petra Parléř Award 2013

Organizer: Company Petra Parléř, o.p.s.
Date: February 28 - April 24, 2013
Subject of the competition: conceptual urban and architectural solutions for public spaces in the cities of Sokolov (Budovatelů Square and 5. května Street) and Police nad Metují (Masaryk Square, including Kostelní Street and Komenského Square).

---

1st prize - Petra Parléř Award (110,000 CZK)
Theme: Sokolov - Revitalization of Budovatelů Square and 5. května Street
Authors: Ing.arch. Martin Rosa, Ing.arch. Kamil Mrva

Jury's evaluation:
The proposal for the modification of Budovatelů Square in Sokolov immediately appears clean and simple. It utilizes basic expressive means derived from the original composition of the square's space. All geometry of the space is based on the original square grid of the pavement. By widening the sidewalks and modifying the roads and necessary parking spaces, pedestrians gain better conditions for everyday use of the space. The removal of parking and traffic in front of the Hornický dům at the front of the square and the widening of the entrance staircase help to emphasize the position of the dominant building from the 1920s and at the same time naturally create a tiered auditorium and a stage for both festive and everyday moments.
New trees soften the generously dimensioned space, and together with the new building at the southern edge of the square create opportunities for stopping and resting. The artistic level of all proposed elements will determine the quality of the outcome. The success of the implementation will depend on the precise execution of all details, which can give the place uniqueness and contemporaneity.

---

2nd prize not awarded

---

3rd prize - MMR Award (50,000 CZK)
Theme: Police nad Metují - Solution for Masaryk Square, including Kostelní Street and Komenského Square
Author: Ing.arch. Alexandr Skalický

Jury's evaluation:
The proposed solution is considered appropriate and correct by the Evaluation Council. The new traffic arrangement is logical and beneficial for the city.
The design for Masaryk Square - a square with one-way traffic and parking, a triangle of trees, opening up the view to the eastern side of the square, and an expanded elevated sidewalk in front of the hotel and the café - is a good solution for the specific needs of the place. We have just minor reservations: the trees might need to be taller and sparser, so as not to distort the perception of the spatial termination of this part of the square. The large sandstone area in front of the town hall: it would be more suitable to choose a different shape to create a better compositional relationship with the fountain and the column of the Virgin Mary.
In Komenského Square, we appreciate the creation of an elevated park platform and the establishment of a resting area in front of the church. However, we believe that this space hides greater potential. A suitable solution might be to separate Komenského Square from the adjacent roundabout with a building, creating a more closed square. It is a pity that private land in the southern part of the square was not included in the conceptual proposal. We have reservations about the location of parking spaces in the central area of Komenského Square. We recommend their reduction or placement in the basement of the new building.
The strength of Proposal No. 1 lies in its complexity. Compared to the other two proposals for Police, it does not have such pronounced artistic motifs; however, it does not lose sight of the overall logic of the place, spatial relationships, traffic, functionality, and the perspective of the pedestrian. We recommend the proposal, after the adjustments of the aforementioned shortcomings, for implementation.

---

Proposal No. 4: Police nad Metují
Author: Ing.arch. Petr Brožek / BRAK architects

Condition
Masaryk Square in Police nad Metují today gives the impression of a parking lot, Kostelní Street feels like a lifeless and unused corridor, and Komenského Square is a place where demolition excavators stopped; the square hardly exists here.

Wider context
The center of a small town with administrative offices, lying on an imaginary connection between the bus station and the new shopping zone, with a bypass that diverts through traffic from the square, but does not lead it far from the town, creates favorable conditions for establishing a vibrant city center.

Concept
The inspiration for the physical form of the square came from history. For Masaryk Square, particularly the state when the square was formed as a homogeneous empty universal space with a dominant Marian column. For Komenského Square, the state when it was closed by development and created an intimate space with a dominant church. The proposal aims to create a public space from both squares and their connection that will offer conditions so that, over time, various human activities led to a lively and attractive place in the city.

Architectural solution
The space of Masaryk Square is structurally given; the task was to organize the area. In today's necessary area for transport service (traffic lane and parking spaces), it is proposed around the perimeter of the square. In the center of the square, a free area will be created, which tries to approximate the original state of an "empty" square with historical elements of the Marian column, fountain, and artesian spring. A minimal number of small-statured trees creates a pleasant environment for people in the square but also does not obscure the facades or detract from the historical impression of the space. By shifting the rows of trees from the sidewalk into the parking lane, the sidewalk will be visually and factually widened. Other trees are not proposed here, except for a mature plane tree placed in the square area as a natural counterweight to the dominant town hall and Marian column. Instead of the former stone cross in front of the town hall that was removed in the 1950s, a bench in the shape of a cross is proposed, and consideration can also be given to relocating the cross from the church back to the square. A new figurative sculpture on an elevated pedestal is placed in the eastern part of the square in the sightline from Kostelní Street and forms a "point de vue" upon arrival from the north, just as the Marian column does from the south. The statue might represent a significant figure from Police's history, a native or T. Masaryk, after whom the square is named. The artesian spring is adapted to a more or less historical form; there is a drinking fountain set at a lowered level. The depression in the square's level symbolizes the depth of the earth from which the spring emerges. The fountain is low, forcing one to bend down, just like to a well. By seeking spatial connections between the Marian column, the fountain, the cross in front of the town hall, the artesian spring, and the newly placed statue and plane tree, we arrived at the arrangement in an isosceles triangle, with the individual elements located at its vertices. The triangle (number 3) refers to the symbol of the Benedictine order, which owned the police estate for many years. The paving of the square unifies the area; however, it is arranged in concentric irregular shapes of variable widths (growth rings) formed by different colors and textures of the paving (ideally already used somewhere). The growth rings symbolize the passage of time, the accumulation of history, the years of abundance and scarcity, bright and dark times. The center of the growth rings is at the center of the square and also at the center of the aforementioned triangle.
Creating a pedestrian zone in Kostelní Street is not a self-saving solution; it is only a necessary condition for the creation of urban life. It is a foundation for civic and entrepreneurial initiatives; without them, it cannot work. Without cafes, patisseries, pubs, and small shops opening here, a lively street will not emerge. Without the facades of buildings being repaired, people will not feel comfortable in the street and will not want to walk through it. Kostelní Street is newly paved in one level, with a 4-meter-wide strip of smooth pavement in the middle of the street, a sort of runner stretched from the town hall to Selendrov's column in front of the church. There are new trees and benches in the street. The corridor-like nature of the street is interrupted at the point of connection with the side street from Žďárská Street and at the mill.
At the under-cloister mill, in the lowest place, the re-exposing of the stream, which is covered by concrete panels, is proposed within the municipal land. The presence of water will fully expose and support the character of the place formed by the mill building, the statues of St. John of Nepomuk, and the sound backdrop of falling water from the massive pipeline next to the mill building. As a possible variant, access to the water level is proposed on the adjacent private land via a sloping plane and steps.
The most significant change is proposed for Komenského Square, namely its physical creation by completing the building on the northern side. The new building does not mirror the historical boundary of development because the situation has already changed significantly. The building has a plan resembling a wide U and essentially traces the shape of the adjacent roundabout. Thus, it surrounds and closes Komenského Square itself. The building is designed so that upon arriving from Hronov, from the roundabout, partially from Žďárská Street, and from the entire area of the square, the church building, which is the clear dominant space, is visible, around which everything revolves and to which the space culminates. The building divides the current space into "inside" the square, within the historical center, and "outside," where the goal is to create a classical street profile. The building is interrupted by two large openings at the crossroads of the main pedestrian routes, while the openings ensure minimal visual contact between the outside and inside. The building can resemble a wall or a gate that paradoxically may welcome visitors and entice them to visit what lies "beyond the gate." The building is on municipal land, and its functional use can be entirely commercial or include residential functions on the floor above. For the ideal spatial completion, a similar mass can be built on the private land on the other side of the roundabout. Here it is up to the investor's will; however, the city can set this in regulatory conditions.

Traffic solution
There is no reason for transit traffic to lead through both squares and Kostelní Street; the new bypass runs in close proximity, and the area is well served from the south and north. In Kostelní Street, due to the narrow profile, traffic is entirely excluded, except for loading and personal transport services on a stop basis; long-term parking is not allowed here. The transit of service transport is one-way from Masaryk to Komenského Square.
Masaryk Square serves as a terminal (destination) for traffic with 36 parking spaces. Due to the reduction in the number of spaces, it is recommended to limit the parking duration (30 to 60 minutes). The square is too valuable a place for all-day parking. Car movement in the square is one-way left-turning around the perimeter with slanted parking spaces. Parking for larger delivery vehicles is longitudinal on the left side of the traffic lane. Traffic in the adjacent streets Tomkova, U opatrovny, and 17. listopadu remains unchanged. The routing of vehicles is assisted by physical obstacles (bollards, benches, trees). The demarcation of parking spaces is done via transverse stops made from protruding stone curbs.
Komenského Square is also terminal for vehicle traffic; a turning loop with a ring of 14 slanted parking spaces for shorter stays is proposed. Long-term (all-day) parking will be well served by the extensive parking lot in front of the Penny market; additional parking can be established in the space in front of the hardware store Soukup. In the southern part, long-term parking can be established along Bezděkovy sady in connection with the bus station.

Square inventory
We want everyone to find their space on Masaryk Square for the given occasion. Many seating or lying places are proposed. Regular type benches for resting or waiting while shopping are along the sidewalk, always in the shade of trees. "Surveillance" benches with oversight across the square are placed along the inner perimeter of the square at the boundary posts. For someone alone, one bench or a pair of benches for sociable people. A large circular bench for sitting or lying is around the large plane tree in the center of the square. One can sit on the steps around the Marian column, fountain, or around the spring. An oak bench with four arms is located at the site of the former cross in front of the town hall.
In Kostelní Street, typical benches are placed under the trees. At the site of the exposed stream, stone blocks and steps are proposed for seating. In Komenského Square, benches are placed around the perimeter, especially in places with a view of the church.

Greenery
A row of trees between the parking spaces lines the perimeter of Masaryk Square; there are no trees in front of the town hall, further emphasizing its role as the dominant. In Kostelní Street, two smaller trees are planted to mark the place where the path connecting from the side street joins. A new tree is proposed in the front garden of the under-cloister mill next to the exposed stream. In the lower part of Komenského Square around its perimeter, there is a row of trees alternating with parking spaces. Trees are missing on the church side, so as not to disturb its dominant role. In the area of the roundabout, rows of trees are proposed along all connecting streets.

Pavement
The sidewalks along the houses throughout the perimeter of the square with the most pedestrian traffic are paved with granite mosaics 6x6 cm. The traffic lane, parking spaces, and the majority of the surface of Kostelní Street and Komenského Square are paved with granite cubes 10x10 cm. The growth rings in the center of the square are paved with stone cubes of varying colors and sizes (6x6, 10x10, 16x10 cm). In the overwhelming majority, existing paving stones are utilized. The central strip leading along Kostelní Street is paved with smooth granite slabs. The lowered terrain by the mill is paved with existing stone slabs. The curbs delimiting the traversable and walkable surfaces are raised only 2 cm.

Night lighting
The basic lighting fixtures are placed on 6-meter-high masts, which are evenly spaced around the growth rings. On the masts are double-sided lights shining directly down onto the roadway and onto the surface of the growth rings; further, there is sound equipment placed on them. In the area of the growth rings, the light intensity is lower, creating a more intimate atmosphere. In this area, the Marian column, fountain, new statue, plane tree, and spring are lighted from below by lights in the pavement. The lighting dominant of the entire square is the facade of the town hall, which is illuminated with the greatest intensity from the mast.

Life in the square
The area in the center of the square marked by growth rings is kept as empty as possible to allow it to be filled with anything and to give life to the place. It is possible to hold markets, pilgrimages, concerts, demonstrations, projections, and parades here. To encourage people to linger in the square, as many seating spaces as possible are provided. It would be desirable for outdoor gardens with seating to emerge on the expanded sidewalks in the square and especially in Kostelní Street. Businesses such as restaurants, cafes, and patisseries should ensure greater visual contact with the square through their shop windows than is currently the case.

Compliance with the zoning plan
In the area of Komenského Square, the zoning plan anticipates completion. In all parameters, the proposal is in accordance with the zoning plan.

---

Proposal No. 3: Solution for Masaryk Square, Kostelní Street and Komenského Square, Police nad Metují

Idea
The area in question is not a uniform area, but rather a collection of urban spaces of various histories and qualities. While Masaryk Square has naturally been the center of the town for centuries, Komenského Square is a remnant of the former "church" square that needs to be redefined.
Masaryk Square and Kostelní Street are urbanistically quality spaces that naturally serve residential, commercial, and representative functions. Therefore, we tried to clear them of inappropriate elements and underline their values. Our goal was to organize traffic so that people would come to and stop in the square instead of just passing through. Thus, we maintained sufficient parking spaces directly in the square and in Kostelní Street. Additional spaces, especially for visitors, were placed in the area of the second square. The equipment was unified using local materials - sandstone and granite.
For Komenského Square, it was necessary to redefine its very boundaries. Subsequently, its functions and usage were also defined. The city requested to preserve a green strip between the square and the town bypass. We maintained this strip but also embedded the access road to Kostelní Street and parking spaces within it. Thanks to this, we could accommodate a more generous front space of the church, drawing it deeper into the town. The widened end of Kostelní Street is conceived as a separate intimate space. Its attractiveness would significantly increase by exposing the buried mill race in these areas.
Our proposal is inspired by the sandstone rock towns embedded in the surrounding landscape. Their erosion formed the basis of our design, represented by long cracks (stripes) intersecting the pedestrian surfaces of both squares. These strips, just like all small historical elements in the town, are made of light sandstone.

Technical solution
All surfaces are proposed in one plane. The paving is made of light sandstone and dark granite. Parking spaces are marked with strips of light granite pavement in dark, and only in the corners of the parking spaces. The trees proposed in the paved areas are equipped with metal grates.
For drainage of the surfaces, we propose using infiltration blocks Permavoid, which allow for the infiltration of rainwater directly on the spot where it falls.

Masaryk Square
We remove the diagonal communication across the square and return the central part to a square shape. The central part is left free, with only the existing historical elements and a new representation of the Jůlinka spring. Trees are planted around the perimeter of the square, seating is placed, and motor vehicle traffic is guided. On the expanded sidewalks, we consider the possibility of placing outdoor seating for restaurants and cafés. The central area is adapted for cultural events of various types as well as for everyday life.
We resolve car traffic as one-way around the central area. Access to the square is possible from Kostelní and 17. listopadu Streets, with exit via Tomkova (currently one-way) and U Opatrovny. The square is paved with dark granite paving; the roadway is delineated by individually laid blocks of contrasting light granite. The dark color of the granite paving is visually broken by sandstone strips that run across the square. We leave only two historical elements in the central area: the Marian column and the fountain. The surrounding area of the Jůlinka spring is newly designed. We place a system of hills (maximum height 400mm) made from large-format sandstone blocks in the square. Water shoots directly from the ground and flows between the hills, creating ponds and ultimately draining into troughs and disappearing beneath the surface. This serves as both an art element and furniture. The sandstone in contact with water will require increased maintenance (regular annual cleaning). The same element is repeated in a smaller scope and without water in the southeastern corner of the square, but it is made of granite there.
The roadway in the central part of the square is separated by granite blocks (800x200x200mm), and instead of blocks, metal posts are used at the corners of the square to facilitate pedestrian passing and cyclist passage. Along the roadway, angled and longitudinal parking spaces are created in some spots.
In the square, we propose two types of trees, hawthorns (Crataegus 'Paul Scarlet') on the eastern and western sides of the square, and small-branched linden trees (Tilia cordata 'Rancho') on the northern side. The proposed furniture also includes bike racks and information boards.

Kostelní Street
This street connects both squares addressed. We propose narrowing the roadway and curving it to slow down traffic. Artificial bays include parking spaces or resting areas with trees (Crataegus 'Paul Scarlet'). The street is paved with dark granite paving. The roadway is partially delimited by metal posts. Parking spaces are marked with light granite cubes and separated from the sidewalk by granite blocks. Pedestrians and cyclists share the sidewalks.

Komenského Square
In the area of Komenského Square, we distinguish several functionally distinct parts. The end of Kostelní Street is perceived as a separate small square. It is defined on three sides by historical buildings; on the northern side, we close it with a group of trees (Tilia cordata 'Rancho'). Benches and lighting are placed under them. The entire area is paved with granite paving. Only between the statues of St. John of Nepomuk and St. Prokop is there a strip of dark granite paving as a reminder of the bridge over the mill race, which is now culverted. We propose acquiring parcels 96/1, 1064/6, and 1064/7 from private individuals to expand the public space of the small square. In this area, we uncover the mill race. The bank on its northern side is adapted for seating and safe access to the water. The surface is made of large-format sandstone paving, in which grass beds are located. The wall on the southern side is granite. We assume that vegetation will naturally establish itself in the cracks.
Another part is the forecourt of the church, defined by the basic art school and the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. We leave the existing grassy areas in front of it, but replace the trees in them (Tilia cordata) due to their low quality. The roadway of Na Babí Street remains in asphalt surface. The remainder of the area is in dark granite paving with sandstone strips. In the lower part, a similar element as in Masaryk Square - sandstone hills is placed. This element counterbalances Selendrov's column in the upper part of Komenského Square.
This area is followed by a green screen that separates the square from the busy road. Its part is the access road to Kostelní Street, lined with parking spaces. The surface of the roadway is again dark granite; the parking lot is also fitted with paving made of the same material with a spacer joint that allows for vegetation growth. Parking spaces are indicated by light granite cubes. Trees (Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer') are planted between the spaces. The green screen itself is made of trees (Fagus sylvatica) planted in the lawn. Granite strips originating from the representative area in front of the church transform into raised beds of grasses with a cladding of gabions.