The school in Ústí will transform into a transformation center according to the design of the Prague studio

Ústí nad Labem - A former high school in Ústí nad Labem will become the Transformation Center of the Ústí Region according to the design by the Prague studio mh architects, which won the international architectural competition. In the design, the architects collaborated with colleagues in Italy, preserving the original shape of the panel buildings and placing entirely different extensions on them. Based on the competition results, which were published today by the jury, the Ústí Region will commission the preparation of project documentation.

"From the beginning, we tried to approach the location and architecture humbly. We were drawn to working with the original panel architecture, which is underappreciated in the Czech Republic. It is precisely on this that transformation can be demonstrated, to experiment, to think about how to revive it," said Michaela Horáková from the winning studio to ČTK. "New capacities have emerged on the roofs of the original buildings; we worked with a new facade in the context of the original to ensure harmony," she added.

The architects respected the layout, but there is a sharp boundary between the old and the new on the facade. "What we are adding is shiny metal," said architect Ondřej Brych. "Now we have a lot of paperwork and discussions ahead of us, but also a celebration, as we have been working on this for several months. Then many people will need to sit down at the table so that we can eagerly start the work," noted Horáková.

The second prize was awarded to a team led by architect Tomáš Hanus, and the third prize went to the studio NEMEC&TALLER ARCHITEKTI. "I am very pleased that we approached the architectural competition for such an important building. It guarantees us a quality and imaginative design sensitive to the environment, especially when it comes to utilizing a brownfield rather than building on greenfield land," said the governor Jan Schiller (ANO). Nineteen applicants entered the competition. The school is located in the Northern Terrace district next to a panel housing estate.

All three awarded teams will be invited by the region to a negotiation procedure without publication, and in the summer of 2023, a contract will be signed with one of them for the design work. The schedule is set so that the center will start operations in the first months of 2027. The estimated construction costs for the reconstruction are 350 million crowns without VAT. The region will cover the costs from the European Operational Programme Just Transition. The center will provide data services for the region, prepare transformation projects for landscape revitalization, energy, and innovations.