The Red Church Reconstruction

The owner decided to move the books to a more suitable space and turn the church into a cultural hub run by Science Library. Its location on the border of the historic city center allows easy access for both pedestrians and transport. It was necessary to comply with the limits for listed buildings, which did not allow the needed social facilities to be placed inside. To provide a fully-fledged event space we decided to add an extension, which would serve as a technical and social facility. The new annex is located at the back of the church and complements this dominant in an unrivaled way.

The poor condition of the church required a complete reconstruction from foundations strengtening through new floors, plasters and facade cladding reparation to roof renovation. This allowed us to hide ventilation system under the floor of church, add an underfloor heating and thermal insulation which means that now the church can host events also during the winter months. The new building is placed right in between the church and the library headquarters linking them together. There is an impressive entrance hall with a reception and a café. You can access either the church or the library from there. Or you can just sit here, have a cup of coffee and read a book. The restrooms and a cloakroom are adjacent to the foyer. The air-conditioning machine room and a boiler room from where the church space is also aired and heated are hidden on the upper floor. We removed the fence on the eastern and northern side of the church and created a public-open piazzetta in front of the new entrance.

The new roof of the church was made of copper squares that are the exact same shape as the ones on the original roof. The missing decorative elements on the roofs were replaced with new stainless-steel sculptures made by renowned Olomouc sculptor Jan Dostal. The sculptures and the interior lights are the only contemporary elements in the historical building. We perceive them a jewellery of the church, forming a link between the new and the old. The load-bearing walls of the extension were preserved in fair-faced concrete. Concrete was also used in the interior for the floors or the reception desk. They are coloured in red shades that follow the colour scheme of the church. Old unused books decorate the main wall in the foyer. The outside walls and the rooftop are made of matte black aluminum. The new construction keeps enough indent from the existing buildings around. The church still appears like a solitary building to which the extension is connected only through a glass passage.