Studio Hofmeister–Liska–Radakulan

Vulnerability as a catalyst for mutual solidarity. Solidarity as a natural and inseparable part of the city.
We seek synergies between different forms of help and care that can support one another—particularly during sensitive periods of life, such as its beginning or its end. We are searching for spatial conditions in which architecture can enable and foster such synergies.

Site

• Podolí

• plot located within a stabilized urban area

• urban structure – mix of developments from 1900 onwards

• relatively pronounced terrain configuration

• orientation north – east – south

• existing transformer station building intended for conversion

• existing children’s playground to be preserved and/or transformed

• negative impact of noise from surrounding traffic

• existing mature vegetation

Assignment

• intergenerational solidarity – an alternative to conventional nursing homes or retirement homes, combined with residential functions for another social group

• urban solidarity – orientation / boundaries / enclosure / openness

• ownership-based solidarity – public / private / shared spaces – garden / courtyard / playground

• interspecies solidarity – preservation of natural conditions for animals (greenery on the ground and integrated into structures)

• sustainable solidarity – conversion and extension of the existing transformer station, intergenerational mutual support, adaptability, circularity

The project will be developed in collaboration with the landscape architecture studios Jeníková–Štemberová–Trpkoš and Rehwaldt–Concepcion. Work may be carried out individually or in teams. The semester will be held in Czech and English.

We will focus on the development potential of Ve Svahu Street – a street situated on the edge of urban structures, yet at the heart of a residential area. The project will address the completion of the existing urban fabric, including the architectural expression of buildings and public spaces. We aim to explore the question of how we would like to live in the city today, and what new development can, in turn, offer to its surroundings.

Site

historically undeveloped area

• site located within stabilized urban fabric of diverse urban structures and scales dating from 1900 onwards (blocks, solitary buildings, a listed Gothic church)

• markedly sloped terrain with southern orientation

• views of the city panorama from Na Topolce Park

• connections to the landscape and river, and to recreational areas such as Vyšehrad, Folimanka, and Lumírovy sady

Assignment

• contemporary and future-oriented urban housing

• search for optimal building density – prediction of future development of the surrounding area

• evaluation of the value of existing fragmented development (redevelopment/demolition)

• hierarchy of internal and external spaces – public / private / semi-private

• multimodal transport, accessibility versus topography, permeability

• typological mix (pure housing / mixed-use / public amenities)

• social mix – varying scales of development – shared and community-oriented spaces

• sustainability in relation to urban housing: leisure time, adaptability, materiality, and life cycles of buildings and inhabitants

The project will be developed in collaboration with the landscape architecture studios Jeníková–Štemberová–Trpkoš and Rehwaldt–Concepcion. Work may be carried out individually or in teams. The semester will be held in Czech and English.