We approached the corner plot near the underpass of the Brno exit road as a response to contemporary construction within the panel housing estate. That is, a large building whose expression relates to the brutalist architecture of the prefab blocks, but adds what those blocks lack — a commercial ground floor, articulated façades instead of a blind gable… and further details that create a unique character.
We have prepared an urban study for the wider area. Olomouc is bordered by a ring of housing estates. In this area, the development was never completed and is only now being finished. The proposed building, set on a shared garage podium, has two independent entrances with their own staircases and elevators. One entrance is for municipal social housing, and the other is for a shelter for mothers with children. The aim is to give both regular and protected housing the same architectural expression. Internal differences remain hidden inside. The generous two-story podium with ceramic cladding refers to urban palaces. The building shapes the Brněnská Street boulevard. The entrances are accentuated by recesses in the floor plan and by balcony slab cutouts running the full height of the building. The façade consists of residential balconies framed by columns and beams. The strict lines and austere expression are softened by subtle recesses, gentle detailing, and composed asymmetry. Individual greenery will be placed on the balconies, enriching the façades. The building has its own separate garden, and its blind gable with a recess evokes pre-war apartment houses.