Previously, the gallery operated in farm buildings on the grounds of Pardubice Castle. Limitations made it necessary to find a new home for art. The choice fell on the historic Gočár Automatic Mills, which underwent a metamorphosis and reconstruction.
The design of the historic industrial building was undertaken by architects from the TRANSAT studio. The architects’ task was to adapt the historic spaces into a modern exhibition centre. The Gočár Gallery in the former mills also has other advantages. The complex is located in the centre of Pardubice, and the river flowing nearby creates an original atmosphere.
The main mill building appears massive from the outside, but it is relatively narrow and not particularly spacious inside. Its structural module is quite small, measuring mostly 4×4 metres. The interior layout is based on an arrangement of vertical spaces. The deep grain silos at the main south facade penetrate into the grain cleaning area and the staircase. This is followed by the main milling hall with mills, the bran store and the flour store.
The complex was built by Josef Gočár at the beginning of the 20th century. The façade of the building made of brick is rather sparingly decorated, which was supposed to refer to the modernism gaining popularity at that time. The first phase of the construction of the mills took place in 1910-11 and the second in 1920-24. During this second phase, buildings that can be described as Czech national style were constructed.
Let us return to the art gallery. The redevelopment of the complex involved clearing the area of a significant proportion of industrial elements. Only a few that recall the history of the place were retained. The problem was to transform the unheated building into a place that could operate all year round and at the same time provide optimal conditions for the display of artworks.
The main exhibition hall is the five-storey mill hall, where the wooden ceiling supported by a steel frame has been preserved, and in the adjacent southern part of the building. The collection storage and technical rooms are located in a section with reinforced concrete structures, which connects to the mill hall on the north side. In several places, the spatial layout has been opened up with vertical connectors between the floors.
The front of the building, which is visible from the city side, is distinguished by the original window division. On the courtyard side, on the other hand, part of the façade has been built up to create a series of exhibition walls. This exhibition space extends to almost 10 metres high on the two top floors with a glass floor.
Interestingly, the original stone staircase from 1910-1911, which was restored to its original location after being moved in the 1940s, has been preserved. Also original is the 1950s concrete staircase of the second staircase, which was located in the former flour silo. Both staircases are complemented by lifts.
The renovation of the building has preserved the original structural system consisting of exposed brick, steel, timber and concrete. The facades have been restored, maintaining an appropriate level of patina. The roofs, which house the ventilation units, have been slightly lowered to maintain the clean silhouette of the building. The original windows have been supplemented with new double-glazed windows, improving the thermal insulation of the interior.
photos: BoysPlayNice(https://www.boysplaynice.com)
design: TRANSAT architekti(https://www.transat.cz)
Read also: Czech Republic | Metamorphosis | Brick | Monument | whiteMAD on Instagram
