They’ve turned a village shop into a school. That’s how our neighbours do it

A former grocery shop in the Czech village of Čebín, which has stood there since the 1970s, has been given a new lease of life and a completely new purpose. The modernised building is now a primary school for 120 pupils. The architectural practice knesl kynčl architekti has retained a significant part of the existing structure, adapting it to the needs of education and high energy efficiency.

Renovation rather than new build

Čebín has a population of around 2,000 and is situated approximately 15 km north-west of Brno. The expansion of the local school became a necessity as schools in neighbouring villages and across the wider Brno conurbation began to struggle with a shortage of places. Until now, older pupils from Čebín had been travelling to the school in nearby Drásov, which was also unable to admit any more children. Consequently, the municipality decided to repurpose the building of the former Jednota shop, which dated from the 1970s. The property had previously been purchased by the local authority, and its conversion proved to be more cost-effective and better suited to urban planning than building a completely new school. During the renovation work, the structure of the first two storeys was retained, and the building was subsequently extended.

Čebín: a new school on the village square

The two-storey building can accommodate 120 pupils in the upper years of primary school. In addition to classrooms, the building houses staff and administrative offices, as well as a canteen with a kitchen capable of serving up to 500 meals a day – for the school and other local authority institutions. Due to the small size of the plot, the architects opted for a vertical design. The storeys are linked by a central atrium, around which the classrooms and staff rooms are arranged. The school is situated on a village square, in the vicinity of the town hall, a nursery school, the older part of the primary school, a community centre, a health centre, a church and the post office. A new clock on the main façade emphasises the building’s public function and its importance to the local community.

An eco-friendly school

Ceramic tiles arranged in narrow strips were used to clad the façade. The same material features in the interiors, particularly in the communal areas. Durable, low-maintenance materials have been combined with mineral thermal insulation, high-quality window and door frames, and a building envelope designed to minimise energy consumption. The building is heated by air-to-water heat pumps. In future, the school is set to become part of the local authority’s energy-sharing scheme between nearby public buildings. Several buildings owned by the local authority will be able to make more efficient use of locally generated energy.

A new school in the Czech village of Čebín

The architects have also considered the school’s future. Whilst the design was being drawn up, the local council purchased an adjacent plot of land, so the school can be extended and its capacity increased by around 80 per cent. The staircase and lift are positioned so that the future extension can be integrated into the existing circulation layout without major alterations. The project was funded by the local council and grants.

design: knesl kynčl architekti
photographs: BoysPlayNice

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