THE RED CHURCH RECONSTRUCTION
The Red Church celebrates a glorious comeback in Olomouc
Olomouc Research Library has been using the Red Church as a book depository since 1959 and this beautiful Lutheran church has been completely closed to the public during all those years . The owner of this listed building , Olomouc Region , decided to construct a new library building to fulfill the storage needs and so free up the Red Church for cultural purposes such as smaller concerts , public readings , lectures , or art shows . Additionally , the Red Church is intended to be an information center for the Research Library and Olomouc Region .
Combining the overall reconstruction of the historical building with the new cultural and social functions was the main brief and focus of the design . The building was in a very poor condition . First , it was necessary to strengthen the foundations , mend the damp and salty masonry , repair the stucco and plaster , and tidy up and fill the gaps in the facade cladding . The floors were a complete redo including the layers all the way down to the terrain base . The reconstruction of the roof was one of the most critical updates . The trusses have been severely damaged by the rain , they could have collapsed at any point . The studio decided to do a complete makeover with maximum effort to retain the original elements . The new roof was made of copper squares that copy the same shape and format as the original roof . The authentic decorative elements did not stand the test of time sadly , so the studio worked together with renowned Olomouc sculptor Jan Dostal who created contemporary artifacts to be placed there instead .
Extra space for operation and facilities was required for the new functionality of the building , but it did not fit in the main body of the church . To avoid significant construction changes to the existing heritage building , the studio decided to add on a new mass that would serve operational purposes . The new building is placed right in between the church and the library directorate , linking the two together . There is a common entrance hall with a reception and a café . The new construction respects the Bezrucova Street line and keeps enough indent from the existing buildings .
The crystal-like mass of the annex responds to the neo-Gothic form of the church ; it derives from its geometric shape , volume , and layout . The floor plan is a cut-out of the part of the church floor plan , only moved outside of the original platform . The walls and the rooftop are made of matte black aluminum .
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