Page 77 - AIT0525_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Šépka architekti, CZ-Prag
„Im Erdgeschoss liegt die Galerie Gampa, darüber
schweben die Polytechnischen Werkstätten – Sféra.“
Šépka architekti
Axonometrie • Axonometry
Bauherr • Client Stadt Pardubice
Standort • Location CZ-Pardubice
Nutzfläche • Floor space 2522 m 2
Fotos • Photos Aleš Jungmann, CZ-Prag
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 126
GALLERY AND EDUCATION
CENTRE IN PARDUBICE
It all started with a crazy move by a young couple full
of ideas. For over a hundred years, the automatic mills
in the Czech city of Pardubice ground flour. In 2013, the
machines stopped. In 2016, the couple snatched the
ensemble, which has been a listed building since 2014,
out from under the noses of “speculators”. This sowed
the seed for a new vibrant cultural area.
T he adventurous Smetana couple set up the Automatic Mills Foun-
dation to work with the city and local stakeholders from galleries,
educational associations and public institutions in order to develop the
site into a vibrant neighbourhood that is open and accessible to all.
Since 2024, the area has been expanded to include a new building.
Šépka architekti have developed a self-sufficient building that never-
theless connects in a fascinating and symbiotic way with the existing
structures. In between, an inviting red carpet spreads out as a social
space. An amphitheatre for 250 people is located here where a number
of open-air events can be organized in the summer. The sculptural buil-
ding volume is layered like a cream cake. In the base – in the cake base
– the Pardubice City Gallery, also known as Gampa, has found a space
that is both publicly effective and low-threshold. The gallery is divi-
ded into several rooms that can be closed with sliding – and accordion
doors. The exhibition halls have overhead natural lighting. The educa-
tional centre “floats” above the gallery, as it were, while an airy mez-
zanine floor spans between the two volumes, connecting to the square
with a grand welcoming gesture in the form of a wide staircase with
seating. Gampa’s goal is to bring contemporary art to a broad audience
and to create a platform for discussing current artistic as well as social
issues. The new gallery spaces offer an inspiring, experience-oriented
and relaxing environment for people of all ages and from all walks of
life. The gallery is a non-profit organization. The educational laboratory
Sphere (Sféra) is also a municipal initiative that offers a wide range of
craft- and science education under one roof. The focus is on direct expe-
rience and experimentation. Laboratories and workshops are available
that are tailored to a wide range of needs and boast the appropriate
lighting. A rich brick-red tone runs warmly and homogeneously through
the material- and colour concept. A blazing fire for culture and educati-
on is kindled here, around which everyone is allowed and encouraged
to gather. The fire will turn into embers that will warm the city from the
inside and radiate across national borders. Keep burning!
AIT 5.2025 • 077