BB Centrum – Building G

Year2013

CategoryOffices

LocationPrague

StatusCompleted

This office building with a commercial ground floor completes an urban block in Michle and responds to its scale, height relationships and the character of the surrounding development.

The street frontage has three storeys and steps back by two further storeys towards the courtyard, following the gradual increase in the height of the surrounding buildings towards the main arterial road. The building closes the block and clearly separates the public street side from the more private inner courtyard. The ground floor is set back along the longer side of the building, creating a covered arcade with a public transport stop, while new rows of trees in both adjoining streets strengthen the urban character of the public space.

The design also allows the building to be easily divided into two independent units. The flat roofs are complemented by greenery in large planters and a terrace, which leads on to a quieter garden in the inner courtyard intended for employees and visitors.

Client	PASSERINVEST
Design team	Martin Krupauer Pavel Kvintus Martin Sedmák

Urban Block and Public Space

The massing is derived from the surrounding urban fabric and works with the gradual stepping back of the upper storeys towards the courtyard. The building thus maintains an appropriate scale of the street frontage while responding to the taller development towards the main arterial road.

The set-back ground floor creates a covered arcade along the longer façade, linking the building entrances, commercial units and the public transport stop. New rows of trees and the redesign of the adjoining streets complement the public space and strengthen the building’s relationship with the surrounding city.

Façade and Greenery

The street façades are more expressive than the calmer courtyard side. Uniform ribbon windows run through the entire building, complemented by varied treatments of the spandrel sections. The ground floor combines large glazed surfaces with dark red exposed concrete and striking conical pillars defining the arcade.

The green roofs, the terrace and the garden with mature vegetation in the inner courtyard extend the working environment with outdoor spaces for relaxation, while also contributing to the architectural expression of the whole building.