Renewal-Zone：布拉格漫步焕新︱跨街建筑集群的再塑
位于布拉格历史悠久的中心城区的一座经典公寓经过更新重塑，实现了其最初的功能。
近九年来，QARTA建筑设计事务所的建筑师们一直投身于对哈维尔斯卡街上的这座房屋的改造工作。这座杰出的建筑可以追溯至罗马时代，必须在充分研究其背景的基础上进行细致谨慎的重塑。作为位列联合国教科文组织遗产名录的优秀建筑，这里受到严格保护。
到了20世纪下半叶，建筑状况破败不堪，而对其的保护必须待屋主回国后方可开展。更新的任务是恢复建筑的公寓功能，这是旅游业和短租影响下非人口密集社区中的一项独特性。原屋主的后人也希望能够让家族财产在高水准的修复后展现原有的光辉。
对于这座建筑的最早记载可以追溯至14世纪中叶，当时的资料展现了通向这里的通路或街道。在布拉格，这种跨街的房屋并不多见。一些常见的部分构成了被保留至今的建筑整体。城市的历史景象揭示了这一整体结构的发展历程：中世纪晚期，房屋围绕通道分布，而到了巴洛克早期，街道已经建在其中。在新古典主义晚期，建筑经历了最后一次大规模的重建，房屋和街道被整合在同一个屋顶和立面之下。事实上这是不同历史时期的建筑和改建的多相融合。
在世纪的不断更迭中，建筑拥有了许多不同的名字：花园之家、黑色花园之家、科尔特斯之家、皮革之家、莱德豪斯、坦德尔马克特和集市，这些名称也反映出建筑从巴洛克早期的公寓到百货商店，再到新古典主义时期的公寓的转变。
“这座建筑的悠久历史与时间推移下演变的复杂环境相交织，影响着建筑的形式与功能。因此，这里成为了多个时代的建筑集合，这是在世纪转变下的不断重塑。历史层次的展开，带来了惊喜，自然也引发了关于建筑手法及细节的疑问。建筑氛围非常独特，因此我们必须思考如何为其引入新的层次，既不干扰原有的氛围又展现出当代的手法。”建筑师大卫·维塔塞克表示。
基于对隐藏的历史层次进行揭示和美学提升的概念，建筑师将历史性与新的元素形成对比，并选择统一的材料元素：金属、玻璃和混凝土，以自然而纯粹的方式将其植入建筑之中，引导居民了解建筑的悠久历史。从罗马地窖的新楼层到哥特式尖拱遗迹的展现，再到新古典主义风格的屋顶，整个改造过程都遵循了这一原则。室内的饰面由废弃的石膏组成，展现出过去的油漆，历史遗迹已经转化为新的美学元素。
门窗经过记录和修复，在镶板上发现的花卉画作片段也被保留下来。浴室和洗手间等新的元素以极简的形式植入建筑，尽力保持历史建筑的完整性。更换后的桁架仍选用天然材料，与原有的结构形成了鲜明对比。混凝土楼梯为新古典主义的矩形螺旋楼梯提供补充，仅通过几个点固定在支撑墙上，以简约的形式与这座非典型公寓的阁楼和谐相连。
建筑师找到了通道上方主庭院屋顶的历史资料。出于安全考虑，在1945年布拉格遭受轰炸期间，玻璃屋顶的铆接结构被拆除。参考文献记录，改造工作修复了庭院的屋顶，重新展现了铆接桁架结构的历史美学价值。小庭院的屋顶也得到了修复，还原了圆形古典楼梯的玻璃屋顶。
经过细致的研究，建筑师确定出不可修复，需要完整重建的部分，其中包括外墙、开口的填充、木工制品和门锁。这座建筑依然保留着过去的石膏、陶制地面和实木地板（被称为维也纳十字锁扣），以及历史悠久的顶部横梁、天花板、屋顶结构和石质的楼梯、饰边和铺装。
居住的功能对布拉格中心地区非常重要，自然的社会联系基于此方可建立；城市再生的过程也与服务设施的保留密切相关。因此，建筑的各个楼层在微调之后依然保留居住功能，底层作为餐厅或酒吧使用。建筑最初被构想为直通式，目前仍如此。因此，一项重要改造便是庭院屋顶的部分。然而按照当前的规则标准，必须做出一些调整，例如阁楼可用于居住。保留原有的屋顶结构是经过深思熟虑而非侵入性的概念。另一项重要但不激进的功能是内置的楼梯。
大卫·维塔塞克总结说：“对遗产建筑改造的过程需要广纳意见。新加楼层显然被接受且是必要的，毫无疑问，历史建筑的重塑必须建立在尊重和遵循规则的基础上开展。”
QARTA是一家创意型事务所，理论研究和实践成果领域广泛。事务所的作品立足于内在的核心理念，并侧重不同类型。作为事务所的领衔者，Jiri Rezak和David Wittassek通过众多奖项印证了设计的卓越性。Jiri Rezak 表示：“我们工作的基础是对生活质量的关注”。David Wittassek补充道：“我们相信，精准细致的设计、创造力以及对整体美感的重视是我们项目的魅力所在。”
Remarkable reconstruction of a classical tenement house in the historical centre of Prague intended to serve its original purpose.
The architects from QARTA Architektura studio have been working on the reconstruction of the house in Havelská Street for nine years. The story of this remarkable building dates back to the Romanesque period, so its continuation required a sensitive approach supported by a comprehensive study of the context. The building is located in the Prague Monument Reservation and is part of the UNESCO heritage, it is also under monument protection, i.e. in the regime of immovable cultural monument.
In the second half of the twentieth century, the house was in a state of decay, and its preservation was only made possible by the owner's return from abroad. The task was to restore the function of the tenement house, a truly unique feature in a depopulated neighbourhood affected by the “tourist industry” and short-term accommodation. The descendants of the original owners also wanted a dignified and high-quality restoration of the family silver.
The earliest mention of the building dates back to the mid-14th century when a passage or a street leading to the house was documented. It is a house over a street, which is not very common in Prague. The commonly separated elements form a whole that has been preserved to this day. Historical vedutas show a remarkable development of this symbiosis – in the late Middle Ages the houses stand around the passage, and in the early Baroque the street is already built into one of them. The last extensive late Neoclassical reconstruction united the houses and the street under one roof and façade. Nevertheless, it is an inhomogeneous confluence of different historic buildings and reconstructions.
Over the centuries, it has been called a number of different names: The House at the Gardens, At the Black Garden, At the Cortes, Leather House, Lederhaus, Tandelmarkt and Bazaar. The names point to the change of function from an apartment house to a department store in the early Baroque period, and back to a tenement house in the Neoclassical period.
"The long history of the building is intertwined with a series of circumstances that have unfolded over time in a rather complex way, influencing its form and function. It has thus become an architectural assemblage of many epochs - a process of gradual remodelling has taken place here over the centuries. The uncovering of historical layers, therefore, brought many surprises and naturally raised questions about the applied building approaches in construction and details. The atmosphere of the house is unique, so we thought about how to bring in new layers in a way that would not disturb it and at the same time reflect the contemporary approach," says architect David Wittassek.
The architects opted for a concept based on revealing and aestheticising hidden historical layers, which they contrasted with the new elements. They chose their materiality as a unifying element – metal, glass and concrete in their natural purity subtly permeate the house, while guiding the inhabitants through its history. From the new floors in the Romanesque cellars, over the acknowledged remnants of the Gothic pointed arch on the façade, to the Neoclassical roof. This principle was applied throughout the reconstruction. The surfaces in the interiors consist of scrapped plaster revealing layers of the previous paintwork. A historical relic has been transformed into a new aesthetic element.
The doors and windows were documented and restored, and the found segments of the floral paintings on the panelling remained. New elements, such as bathrooms and toilets, were inserted into the building as minimalist blocks, leaving the historic construction intact as much as possible. The replaced trusses have retained their natural materiality and are in contrast with the original trusses. The Neoclassical rectangular spiral staircase has been completed with a concrete staircase. It was anchored into the supporting wall at only a few points. With its simple form, the house harmoniously connects to the attic with atypical apartments.
The architects were able to locate historical documentation of the roofing of the main courtyard over the passage. The riveted construction with a glass roof was removed for safety reasons during the bombing of Prague in 1945. The reconstruction has restored the roofing of the courtyard in a modified form, with the historicizing aesthetics of the riveted truss construction according to the surviving documentation. The roofing over the small courtyard was restored, and the glass roofing of the round classical staircase was reconstructed.
A detailed study has determined what is "untouchable" and therefore needs to be reconstructed in an intact manner. This included the facades, infill of openings, joinery and locksmiths. The house also had original plasterwork, ceramic floors and solid wooden floors (the so-called Viennese crosses). There were also historic ceiling beams, ceiling and roof constructions, and stone parts such as staircases, lining or paving.
The residential function is important for the central part of Prague, only thanks to it can natural social relations be established; the process of regeneration is also connected with the preservation of services in the parterre. Therefore, the individual floors will continue to serve as housing after minor modifications, with the ground floor providing space for a restaurant or pub. The house was originally conceived as a pass-through building, and this will continue to be the case. One of the pillars of the reconstruction was therefore the transformation of the roofing of the courtyards. However, due to current standards, some changes had to be made, for example, the attic is now habitable. Maintaining the original roof construction is a thoughtful and non-invasive concept. Another significant, but not aggressive, feature is the built-in elevators.
"The process of reconstructing heritage buildings requires open discussion. It is clear that new layers are permissible, and often necessary. Just as it is indisputable that the reconstruction of historic buildings must be conducted with respect and according to the rules," concludes David Wittassek.
QARTA Architektura is a creative studio with a diverse range of ideological studies and numerous realizations. The wide range of projects is based on the internal philosophy with an emphasis on the variety of assignments. According to executives Jiri Rezak and David Wittassek, numerous awards such as the Grand Prix of the Community of Architects, Best of Realty, and Construction of the year are proof of the excellence of design. "The basis of our work is to focus on the quality of life", says Jiri Rezak and David Wittassek adds: "We believe that precise, detailed design, creativity, and emphasis on overall aesthetics are behind the amiability of our projects".
Project name: Havelská
Studio: QARTA Architektura
Author: David Wittassek, Jiří Řezák
Website: www.qarta.cz
Social media: www.instagram.com/qartaarch, www.facebook.com/qarta.architektura
Project location: Havelská 27, Prague
Project country: Czech Republic
Project year: 2013-2016
Completion year: 2022
Built-up Area: 689 m²
Gross Floor Area: 3560 m²
Plot size: 830 m²
Photographer: BoysPlayNice, www.boysplaynice.com
Collaborator:
Project: Jan Havel, Jan Zmátlík
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