Adaptation of the Grain Silo in the Winternitz Automatic Mills

The Automatic Mills, a national cultural monument, is one of the first buildings designed by Josef Gočár, who was to become one of the greatest Czech architect of the 20th century. Standing on the banks of the Chrudimka River in the centre of Pardubice, the monumental mill building was created in 1909. In 1924, the complex was extended to include a grain silo, the conversion of which we designed. The automatic mills operated continuously for more than 100 years until 2013. Since 2016, the mill brownfield has been undergoing transformation into a cultural and social urban district.

The main purpose of the Silo conversion is its social use, which has replaced the previous industrial function. The multi-purpose hall hosts theatres, lectures, concerts and social events. The roof terrace with bar offers a new view of the city. Exhibitions will be held in the newly accessible grain bins. Here, the very essence of the silo becomes visible. The silo ground floor now forms a covered public space and a basement, almost an underworld of their own, with public toilets provides facilities for the new square. The idea of opening the building to the square went hand in hand with the overall opening of the site to the city. Opening the gates, opening the parterre. The base, that had been mysteriously closed, is now broken through by a wide new opening. Today, as in the past, a single communication core connects the whole. The main change is the hall inserted into the former machine room on the 5th floor. Together with the hall, the roof has been made wheelchair accessible.

The construction interventions involved mainly creating a full-length basement for the building, insertion of a communication core and construction of an open hall space in place of the pillared hall on the 5th floor. The condition of the 100-year-old concrete, which is now approximately C16/20, was very good, showed no defects and no repair was necessary. However, the horizontal structures did not meet the required loads and therefore were all replaced with new ones. The building is partially heated. Due to the listed facades, the above-ground heated spaces are insulated internally. The building is heated by a ground-to-water heat pump with 6 geothermal boreholes 120 m deep. Colours and brickworks are confined to the facades, the interior is muted. All original surfaces are retained, including the patinas, or various drill holes and scars left by the demolished partition walls. Simply put, the aim is to develop the building in its rationality and monumentality.