Elementary School Smíchov

A school project developed in international collaboration with the Canadian firm Office OU from Toronto. The final design is based on the winning entry of an international architectural competition.

We designed the school campus primarily for the children who will spend time there. The school is connected to the school playground, and students can spend their breaks on the terraces and on the school roof to enjoy the fresh air as much as possible. The school’s architecture is understated yet dynamic and positive, designed to balance the context of the surrounding office buildings.

The school building, with its rectangular floor plan, hugs the street line of the new boulevard, and its western facade defines the public space and the edge of the boulevard. The remaining part of the triangular plot is used for a playground. The school building will be visible from the right bank of the Vltava River in Nové Město, as well as through the gap between the blocks to the west, directly from the exit of the Mrázovka Tunnel. The upper floors of the school will offer views of Nové Město—the building will serve as a significant landmark and a dominant feature of the city.

Our goal was to revitalize the area around the access road; therefore, the entrance to the sports facilities and gyms is located here, through which the public and gym users will enter the school grounds in the afternoons and evenings. We encourage students and teachers to use eco-friendly transportation around the city, which is why a bicycle shelter is also situated at the southern entrance to the grounds. Given the school’s local catchment area, public transportation access to the school will be directed toward the tram line, which is closer than the metro station.

Crucial for the city is the urban integration of the school and the two newly built parks into a single functional unit. In particular, opening the school playground to the public in the afternoons and connecting the north-facing park with the playground and the public space on Nádražní Street and on the bridge over the street can transform all these areas into a single vibrant public space.