Czech Bar Association

Year1995

CategoryOffices

LocationPrague

StatusCompleted

The Czech Bar Association building stands on a prominent corner site in the centre of Prague, where its conspicuous position within the historic urban fabric places high demands on both the representative quality and the sensitivity of the intervention. The design therefore combines the reconstruction of the original building with a new building in the courtyard, creating a single functional whole for the institution’s administrative, operational and representative needs.

The building is perceived as a fully fledged spatial object, not merely as a street façade, which is why relationships towards the interior of the block also play an important role. The fundamental principle of the design is a dialogue between the present and the past. Between the energy of the new and the experience of the old.

The new building enters into a relationship with the carefully reconstructed historic building as its contemporary layer, contrasting with it while respecting and complementing it.

Client	Czech Bar Association
Design team	Martin Krupauer

The Courtyard as Part of the Architecture

The composition is based on the relationships of the surrounding masses, which verticalise the space with their light wells and gable walls – places traditionally perceived as the less valuable backs of buildings. Yet it is precisely these backs that can now create pleasant and romantic courtyards. Their calm and quiet world amid the bustle of the city is attracting more and more life.

The building is understood as an object that must hold its own when perceived fully from all sides, including from the centre of the block. Reducing architecture, especially in the case of street infill buildings, to the design of façades alone means overlooking spatial relationships and the overall character of the building.

A Dialogue between Old and New

The design seeks a relationship between the present and the past, between the energy of the new and the experience of the old. The new building in the courtyard represents a child, while the carefully reconstructed original building represents an old man. Their relationship is based on the contrast between extravagance and wisdom, movement and calm, the present and experience.

It was this very dialogue that became the basis for answering the question of how and why to connect the two worlds.