Architectural Internship Report by Karolina Tilnakova

ACADEMIC INTERNSHIP REPORT Mjรถlk architekti Liberec, Czech Republic Karolina Tilnakova AAU MSc3 Arch fall semester 2018/2019

Aalborg University Architecture & Design Course title Course period Semester Supervisor Internship office

Contact person

Academic Internship fall 2018 MSc03 Arch Ali Zakaria Djebbara Mjölk architekti Soukenné náměstí 23/10, 460 01 Liberec Czech Republic http://www.mjolk.cz/en Ing. arch. Jan Vondrák vondrak@mjolk.cz

Internship period

01. 08. 2018 - 31. 12. 2018

Submission date

03. 01. 2019

Number of pages

_______________________________ Karolina Tilnakova

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION COMPANY PROFILE OBJECTIVES OF THE INTERNSHIP EXPECTATIONS

ABSTRACT This report describes my academic internship at Mjölk architekti in fall 2018 (01. 08. 2018 - 31. 12. 2018). It contains the company profile, objectives and expectations from the internship, projects I contribute to during my stay, reflection and conclusion.

2 PROJECTS TIMELINE VILY VRATISLAVICE VILLA ZACKA NEW SIGNAGE SYSTEM FOR THE CZECH NATIONAL MUSEUM THE CHEEKY HOUSE THE LAKE HOUSE APARTMENT HOUSE SOUŠ RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SMALL THEATRE ATELIER MJÖLK 3 EPILOGUE REFLECTION CONCLUSION REFERENCES ILLUSTRATION LIST

4 6 6 7 8 11 14 16 20 21 22 23 24 30 31 31

This academic internship is part of the third semester of MSc Arch at the Aalborg University, Denmark.

1 INTRODUCTION COMPANY PROFILE OBJECTIVES OF THE INTERNSHIP EXPECTATIONS

COMPANY PROFILE HISTORY AND STRUCTURAL ORGANISATION Mjölk architekti (The Mjölk architects) is a young architectural studio which was founded right after the three architects (Jan Mach, Jan Vondrák, Lukáš Holub) finished the studies at the Technical University Liberec, Faculty of Arts and Architecture in 2008. Since then they have become a well-known and respected studio. They are regularly published in both Czech and international magazines and were also nominated for Architect of the Year 2018 in the Czech Republic and ended up in the TOP5. The company is located in the city centre of Liberec, a town in the north of the Czech Republic. The constant team consists of 4 architects - Jan Mach, Jan Vondrák, Lukáš Holub and Pavlína Müllerová, 2 civil engineers Michal Hejzlar and Libor Nejezchleb and 1 back office manager - Radka Vokounová. Currently, we are 4 architectural interns working in the office - Eliška Müllerová, Tobiáš Hrabec, Ladislav Balogh and Karolína Tilňáková. Last but not least, the dog Archie is a full member of the team.

Ill. 2 - Constant team of Mjölk architekti

AREA OF FOCUS AND PHILOSOPHY With this team structure, the office is able to work on the projects from the preliminary design to the drawings for building permits and construction execution. The project portfolio varies from art installations and private family houses to large industrial buildings and public buildings. Each project is usually led by one architect who is responsible for keeping up the deadlines and meeting with the clients. He also creates a team of people working on a design. However, everybody in the office is informed about every project and is present during the early stages of the design process to ensure that it develops according to the philosophy of the company which is mainly characterised by conceptual simplicity, truthfulness and youthful playfulness (MjĂślk, 2018).

Ill. 3 - The DOX house (Carbon), PyĹĄely, Czech Republic

Ill. 4 - Ice Balls, Norway

The company works on different scale projects, cooperate with both private investors and public sector and what I find very important is that the members are also deeply involved in what is happening around them. They are in charge of some cultural events, such as film festival Kino Liberec that takes place in the streets of the Liberec city centre. They often open political debates about problems in the city and suggest solutions on how to solve them. They also organise a series of cross-country races called DivoÄ?ina which usually end in a pub Vokno, which is run by them and what became a favourite meeting point for many interesting people in the city. They hand over their knowledge and approach towards architecture by teaching at the Technical University in Liberec and also participating in the both Czech and international workshops and lectures. The team is very open-minded and fully enthusiastic and passionate about what they are doing. They are not afraid to go against the mainstream and to look for unusual solutions and they also have an ability to persuade the clients or municipalities to step out of their comfort zones a bit and think outside the box as well. This is, in my opinion, the key to their distinction from the other offices. Their design is very user-centred, they care about their clients a lot and often become friends with them during the process of designing and construction. They love to have fun and that can really be seen on their design, where in many cases the design carries some hidden joke or message.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INTERNSHIP

EXPECTATIONS

MY OBJECTIVES The objective of the internship was to experience working in a professional environment and to use the skills and knowledge I gained during my bachelor studies at the Czech Technical University in Prague and my master studies at the Aalborg University. Since I only had an experience of working in a civil engineering company before (mostly cost and technical consultancy) I was curious how different the atmosphere is in an architecture office.

MY EXPECTATIONS First of all, I expected to get an experience of how an architectural office works, how a regular day looks like and how is the work and the whole design process structured during the time.

Another important objective for me was to compare the process of designing during the practical work with the theoretical knowledge and the style I am used to working at the university. WHY I CHOSE MJÖLK ARCHITEKTI I began my journey to become an architect in my last year of secondary school education. I was not really sure what to do, but I knew the office Mjölk architekti through their projects and actions they were doing in the region. I attended one lecture they had about the public spaces and how to work with them and also about the beginning of their company and what they were working on back then and I decided to study architecture. When choosing the company for my internship last semester it was important for me to have the same approach towards architecture and similar visual style. I was also looking for a smaller company rather than a big one to become a full member of a team. Mjölk architekti fulfil all the criteria I set before making my decision, moreover, they overcome them in the way what they do beside the designing. They took the social responsibilities in both hands and care a lot about the local environment. They definitely make a difference in their attitude and passion for the work and also the fun they have during the design process. Becoming an intern at Mjölk architekti felt like coming back to my roots, as knowing the studio and their job was the reason why I started studying architecture.

Secondly, I assumed to gain knowledge about how much are the projects influenced by financial situation, collaboration with other professions, local plans and of course by the clients. I also expected to try new software programmes and improve my skills in the ones I was currently using. Socially related I hoped to become a full member of the team, get better with my communication and problem-solving skills and create a new professional network which can be really important for my future career. Overall I can say that I expected to get involved as much as I could in as many different projects as possible to get the most out of my internship. THE COMPANY‘S EXPECTATIONS According to the Internship Agreement - Architectural Engineering (2018) which was signed after the interview with the company, Mjölk architekti expected me to work as a full-time employee, bring a new look and new approaches towards the design process, learn more about the technical solutions, Czech building regulations and how to use them in practice. I was also expected to cooperate in the team of other architects, interns and civil engineers, as well as work independently on given tasks. Last but not least, I was expected to join the team in their other activities besides the architecture and designing, like organising cultural and sports events.

2 PROJECTS

TIMELINE VILY VRATISLAVICE VILLA ZACKA NEW SIGNAGE SYSTEM FOR THE CZECH NATIONAL MUSEUM THE CHEEKY HOUSE THE LAKE HOUSE APARTMENT HOUSE SOUŠ RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SMALL THEATRE ATELIER MJÖLK TIMELINE

projects

weeks

Vily Vratislavice Vila Zacka National Mu seu m The Cheeky Hou se The Lake Hou se

s u r g e r y

Apartment Hou se Sou š The Small Theatre Atelier Mjölk Ill. 5 - Timeline

VILY VRATISLAVICE

Client:

Private investor

Phase:

Preliminary design and Design development

Size:

1400 m2

My role:

rooms arrangement programme, 2D drawings of floor-plans and sections, helping with 3D modelling, final presentation drawings and layouts

Ill. 6 - Spacious diagram of the project Vily Vratislavice

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This was the first project I started working on. It contains a development of 5 family houses on the outskirts of Liberec, Czech Republic in the place of the total area of 3860 m2. The client is a private investor who plans to build all the houses and then sell it separately. When I joined the office, the project was on the very beginning, just the road and individual building sites with approximate location and very schematic floor-plans of the future houses were set.

1320

Kopr

6600

1 0

parcela spoleฤ nรก

5800

1300

4010

1281

1350

4000

2255

8695

1495

The idea of the project is to create a unique complex of family houses made in a higher standard with the spacious indoor area. The exclusive location offers a beautiful view of the neighbourhood. These houses are primarily designate to the people who do not have experience nor time to run a process of a designing and constructing a house, which is sadly really slow in the Czech Republic as we are on the 156th place out of 190 in the time needed in order to get the building permit (Estav.cz, 2018). The company gave full trust in me to look into the project with clear eyes and suggest the changes in the floor-plans, as they were a little bit stuck in the process. Together we designed five houses of four different types and their mass models. We were focused to fit our design into the context of the existing buildings in the area on an assurance of the privacy of the future users.

3190

Residential complex of five family houses

2100

Typology:

20 00

Liberec, Czech Republic

72 00

Location:

Vily Mjรถ

Ill. 7 - Master plan of project Vily Vratislavice

Ill. 8 - Exterior render - Vily Vratislavice complex

PŮDORYSY DŮM 1 1:100

This project started already in June and the final drawings and renders were submitted at the beginning of December. It was a really long process, which was kind of exhausting at its end, because I and my colleagues were supposed to re-draw it many times.

For this projects I was mainly responsible for the 2D drawings in AutoCAD of floorplans and sections for all the houses after we agreed in a team on the schematic room arrangement drawing of the house 1 can be seen on the illustrations 8 and 9. Because we were running out of time before the deadline, I ŘEZ PŘÍČNÝ also helped with the 3D models that we did in Rhino which was 1:100 a new programme for me, therefore it was really challenging while I was working under the time pressure. I also collected all the drawings at the end and created a layout for them so they could be exported and printed. Which I am really glad about this project is that I was present at the most meetings with the investor, so I was able to directly hear the comments and react immediately and I felt that me and my opinions are respected.

6600

2.01

0.04

2.02

+10.120

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0.02 1.02

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0.06

1.03

1.04

2.05 +6,000

13200

0.05

2.04 13200

0.03

13200

Mainly it was caused by the design changes the client required, it also took us so much time to persuade him for the outcome we were going for. The biggest challenge was definitely the DŮM 1 expression of the building envelope and the final renders, as ŘEZ PODÉLNÝ 1:100 we were heading for outdoor ceramic tiles in a white colour because we believed they would emphasize the speciality of the house itself, however, the client found it cold and not welcoming. At the end, we found a solution of the light beige tiles combined with massive window frames which we both agreed on.

6600

1.01 +3,000

2.06

2.07

0.07

+3.000

±0.000

-1

±0.000 = 415.5 m.n.m.

suterén 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07

chodba pracovna sklad technický sklad toaleta relax zóna sauna

+1 přízemí 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04

10.1 m2 16.3 m2 12.1 m2 05.4 m2 02.3 m2 12.3 m2 04.0 m2

+2 společné prostory záchodová předsíň toaleta spíž

přízemí 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07

57.6 m2 01.5 m2 01.6 m2 01.9 m2

ložnice šatna toaleta koupelna chodba dětský pokoj č.1 dětský pokoj č.2

15.6 m2 05.2 m2 01.4 m2 06.0 m2 07.5 m2 13.0 m2 13.0 m2 +10.120

+10.120 +10.120

+10.120 DŮM 1

Vily Vr Mjölk 10

ŘEZ PODÉLNÝ 1:100

+3.000

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Vily Vratislavice Mjölk architekti 10/2018

Ill. 9 - House 1 - floor-plans and section drawings ŘEZ PŘÍČNÝ 1:100

+10.120

+3.000

situation plan VILLA ZACKA Location:

Beirut, Lebanon

Typology:

Family house

Client:

Private investor

Phase:

Preliminary design and Design development

Size:

380 m2

My role:

2D drawings of floor-plans and sections

2/9

This proposal is a very interesting project of a large family house in Beirut, Lebanon. The client is an elderly couple who wants to build a new house for them but also for the families of their two children who are already adult and live abroad. They would like to meet at the house at least two times a year, therefore it was required to design enough space for everybody. The sloping building site offers a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and is located just outside of Beirut, with enough calmness and privacy. The proposal brightly uses the inclination of the site and the difference in the heights overcomes with using the platforms all over the house. The stairs outside and in the main house have always only five steps to make the walking along easier considering the age of the clients. A lot of effort was also put into the design of the outdoor spaces - different types of patios and use of the greenery zones can be seen. The project contains three houses - the main one where we can find the living room, lounge with the office, master bedroom, master bathroom, kitchen, maidâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s room, technical room and storage. The other two houses are determined for the children and their families and always consists of two bedrooms, living room and bathroom. They have one common kitchen that connects these two houses together. In the outside zone a large infinity pool is placed and naturally it becomes the main meeting point for everybody in the house.

VILLA ZACKA MJĂ&#x2013;LK 2018 Ill. 10 - Villa Zacka - masterplan

Ill. 11 - Villa Zacka - mass diagram

floorplan

This project located outside of Europe was a real challenge. The clients contacted the office already at the beginning of the year with a vision of a family house for a large family. After some time and few Skype meetings, a proposal was delivered. However, it was not according to the clients‘ happiness and taste. It was necessary for two architects from our office to visit the building site by themselves and also meet the clients personally and see where they live now and what is the approach towards architecture at the place.

+4.68

+0.90

This visit happened right before I started my internship so during my first month we started working on this project from the very beginning. We had a presentation of the photos the architects took in Lebanon and we started developing the floor-plan according to the hand sketches they did back there. However, we were still not really sure about the design, because it was something completely different than we were all used to. I was working mainly on the 2D drawings in AutoCAD. I was present at the Skype meeting where we presented a proposal, I did not speak with the clients directly, but I was listening and taking notes. It appeared that they are not really happy about it either and this was confirmed in an e-mail from them few days later.

+1.80

18 23

±0.00

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3/8

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breakfast

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±0.00

dinning -0.90

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section

1 : 200

01 02 03 04 05 06 07

We started working on the design again and used the idea of platforms and that finally felt like a right way how to do it. We were also consulting the whole project with the client more intensively to avoid a situation making something completely off. This proposal was positively accepted from the investors, only minor changes were made in the final floor-plan drawings which I was working on and can be seen in the illustration 12.

09 11 12 13 14 15 17

VILLA ZACKA MJÖLK 2018

18 19

Ill. 12 - Villa Zacka - floor-plan

20 21 22 23 24

+7.680

+4.800

+4.680

+1.800

5/8

In this project, I primarily learnt how much more difficult it is to design something in an environment that is so different from the one we are living at. I was, for example, surprised that the family has a maid, and even more surprised when they told us that the area of 9 m2 for her room and toilet is too much. Also, the weather is really warm and dry in Lebanon so the need for passive solar shading was a must and we did not include it in the first proposal at all. We were also facing some language barrier as it is not ours or our clients‘ mother language, which was sometimes a bit difficult.

08 10

+0.900

±0.000

-0.900

Ill. 13 - Villa Zacka - section

Návrh tvoří d 100 × 66 cm Zatímco men orientaci po m s piktograme panely jsou js informace a t u vstupů do e obou budov. V obsahovat po např. i s traso být animovat

NEW SIGNAGE SYSTEM FOR THE CZECH NATIONAL MUSEUM Location:

Prague, Czech Republic

Typology:

Graphics and Industrial design

Client:

Public institution

Phase:

Competition - Preliminary design - 3rd place

Size:

My role:

design of a signage holder, technical details about the price and technology

The proposal for this competition was made in a co-operation with a graphic designer Ondřej Horáček. The task was to deliver a solution for the new signage system for the Czech National Museum in Prague, which was under the reconstruction for seven years and re-opened this September for the 100 years’ anniversary of Czechoslovakia.

you are here stojíte zde

Fenomén Masaryk — Masaryk as a Phenomenon cz

Národní muzeum chce prezentovat Tomáše Garrigue Masaryka mimo klasická a zažitá klišé "Prezidenta Osvoboditele" a "tatíčka". Masaryk bude představen ve třech rovinách. Tou první bude pohled na konkrétního člověka, jeho vztahy, víru, ideje a názory. Zásadní roli zde bude hrát i vztah k manželce Charlottě. Nesmírně aktuální jsou pak dodnes jeho názory na Ameriku či Rusko. Druhou rovinou je pak role jeho osobnosti ve veřejném prostoru. Nejprve jako "profesora" před rokem 1914, a to nejen v univerzitním prostředí.

The newly opened Masaryk as a Phenomenon exhibition is inspired by a project of the same name that occupied the New Building of the National Museum from 15 September 2017 to 31 January 2018. It will introduce Masaryk as professor, president, but also as father and husband. Great attention is paid to Masaryk's relationship with the United States of America, which played an important role not only in his personal and working life but also in his "life project" - the promotion of the emergence of an independent Czechoslovakia during the First World War.

Keltové — The Celts

Fenomén Masaryk — Masaryk as a Phenomenon

3. Piktogramy

Ideové řešení pasívních prvků

Ill. 14 - National Museum - concept graphics

The signage holder has a simple design with modern technology. We decided to use electronic ink for the holders because of all the advantages it brings - it is variable, easy to read, energy efficient, there is the possibility of the animation and the whole technology has a compact size. The panels would be connected to Wi-Fi so it is easy to change the message they hold. The black and white colour of the panels is used to maximise the contrast and the possibility to read them. It also fits to both old and new buildings of the National Museum as this was an important requirement of the project. Together with one other intern, we came with the design of the panel, I was later responsible to find the technical details and prices for the technology. I was present during the presentation of the final proposal. There were 13 people in the jury, renowned graphic designers and architects included, so it was a great experience for me, even if I was quite nervous. Sadly, we ended up on the third place.

Ill. 15 - National Museum - pictograms

a orientačního systému pro HB i NB NM

you are here stojíte zde

Fenomén Masaryk — Masaryk as a Phenomenon

Keltové — The Celts

Ill. 16 - National Museum - visualisation in the old building

Fenomén Masaryk — Masaryk as a Phenomenon

Ill. 17 - National Museum - visualisation in the new building

DRZEJ DŮM (THE CHEEKY HOUSE) Location:

Hradec Králové, Czech Republic An

ton

Private investor

Phase:

Preliminary design and Design development

Size:

180 m2

My role:

analysis phase, 2D drawings - floor-plans, sections, elevations

ořá

bala

Client:

ína

Ned

Family house

Osk ara

Typology:

The site is located in a wider centre of Hradec Králové and has an area of only 230 m2. Moreover, the building site is framed by a facade of a housing complex on the north and a family house on the north and has to fulfill the building distances that are requested by the Czech building and fire regulations. The house overcomes these obstacles with a tower mass formation of four floors. It creates the street line and enriches the city structure with a new typology.

Boh usla

va M artin

The Cheeky House is the answer to the question of how to build on complicated building site while creating a quality and modern dwelling.

Ill. 18 - The Cheeky House - masterplan

The first floor is connected with a wall-sheltered yard that protects the privacy and offers a cosy space for outdoor seating and BBQ. Via the spiral staircase one can get to the second floor and master bedroom that has a large balcony which is in fact in a contrast with the yard. It is open and offers a view of the street and the house surroundings. The bath area is located one floor above and contains bathtub, shower, toilet, sauna and a small cooling loggia. The children bedrooms are located on the very top floor and although their floor area is smaller than it is usual, they offer a fascinating view from the height of respectable nine meters. This house sails courageously through the water of the strict building regulations and changes the apparent limitations to the quality.

Ill. 19 - The Cheeky House - isometric render

Ill. 20 - The Cheeky House - exterior render

This project came to our office during August, so I could be in the process from the very beginning. The assignment was simple, the clients, a young family with two children, wished to build a house in Hradec KrĂĄlovĂŠ. However, when we looked into the cadastral maps and found the size of the site we realised it will not be that easy as it seemed before and that we will be very limited by the regulations in the local plan. 11105

1.01

I am personally really satisfied with what we achieved in this project, I like the design very much and enjoyed drawing this detailed a lot. Even though we were under the time pressure, the smooth process and the trust of the clients kept us going and allowed us to create an unusual solution for a typically usual assignment.

5850

5850 7700

7700

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Luckily for us, they fell in love with the proposal from the very beginning and asked us to detail it more. We had quite a lot of time for finalizing the design, so I was able to draw the floorplans, sections and elevations in AutoCAD with one other intern to the very detailed level and my colleagues played with the 3D model in Rhino as well and did a great job in the rendering software Lumion. The final presentation was a success and the project will continue with the technical drawings for the building permit in the following year.

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This was also the reason why I suggested to start according to the Integrated design process by Knudstrup (2004) and I got full trust in this task from the architects. We had the problem statement, so I started with preparing the analysis part - I did the mapping, searched for the local plans and their limitation, looked into the Czech building regulations and hoped to continue in the process with the sketching phase. As we were really limited with the maximal built-up area, we quickly found a solution of the mass of a tower and designed an unusual four storey house. However, we did not have enough time to test more solutions so we finished this one and presented it to the clients.

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Ill. 21 - The Cheeky House - floor-plans

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Ill. 22 - The Cheeky House - front and yard elevations

+12.400

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Ill. 24 - The Cheeky House - interior render - kitchen and living room

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Ill. 23 - The Cheeky House - sections

Ill. 25 - The Cheeky House - exterior render - yard

JEZERNÍ DŮM (THE LAKE HOUSE) Location:

Hamr na Jezeře, Czech Republic

Typology:

Family house

Client:

Private investor

Phase:

Preliminary design and Design development

Size:

270 m2

My role:

first schematic floorplans, mass evolution, sketching

An outstanding project of the house is located on the shore of the lake in Hamr na Jezeře. It levitates above the ground and is divided by strict geometry into eight rooms. From the entrance hall, you can enter the kitchen, dining room and living room in the south and facing the lake. On the opposite side of the house, we can find two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The office room with a large concrete table enjoys the west sun. The corner rooms with pulled off windows can easily become a part of the exterior.

Ill. 26 - The Lake House - isometric

Ill. 27 - The Lake House - floor-plan +2

The levitating mass of the house creates a unique space under an outdoor kitchen and a fireplace in the middle. Through the stairs, you can get down to the sauna which is hidden under the created water tank. From the house you can get to the lake via the wooden pier which carries a ,mobile construction for the ship. For this project, I helped with sketching the first schematic floorplans and mass evolution. Thanks to full trust and higher budget from our client we were able to propose a unique house with many qualities. The project is now being calculated for the statics and is expected to be continued next year with the technical preparation for the building permit.

Ill. 28 - The Lake House - exterior render

s 1719

1706 1701/1

Preliminary design and Design development Architectural competition - 1st place

1716

Phase:

1705/2

Private investor

1718

Client:

8000

5000

Recreational apartment house

analysis phase, schematic floor-plan arrangement, final layout

It was obligated to fit into the current context and style of the building in the Jizera Mountains, however, we were struggling with the mass formation of the object. We had two solutions - more smaller objects or one large. We decided to choose one big hut for a better flow of the people, technical aspects and also to make a dominant building of the area which will still correspond with the surrounding thanks to a typical expression of the Jizera Mountains‘ houses.

43300

11885

4000

1717

1705/1

16900

20900

7430

ská

Souš

1834

At the end of November we delivered a winning competition proposal for the new recreational apartment house near the Souš in Desná, Czech Republic. The building site is located in the Jizera Mountain Protected Landscape Area, therefore it was necessary to dig deep into the regulations and local plans and find out the limitation for the area.

1721

6000

SITUACE

My role:

5000

kolárna

Ill. 29 - Souš - isometric

8000

1691

3400 m2

1722

Size:

káď

Typology:

sauna s jezírkem

Souš, Desná, Czech Republic

2372

Location:

1705/3

APARTMÁNY SOUŠ (APARTMENT HOUSE SOUŠ)

Ill. 30 - Souš - section

Ill. 31 - Souš - masterplan

My continuation on this projects was sadly interrupted by my surgery and when I came back to the office the final drawings and renders were just being made, so I at least helped with the layout of the drawings and calculating the floor area as a foundation for making a cost-analyse and budget.

Ill. 32 - Souš - exterior render

REKONSTRUKCE MALĂ&#x2030;HO DIVADLA (RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SMALL THEATRE) Location:

Liberec, Czech Republic

Typology:

Public building - theatre

1.44

1.45 1.41

1.42

1.47

1.40

1.43

1.39

1.46

1.38

1.1

1.26

1.31

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Client:

Public institution

Phase:

Reconstruction

1.25

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Size:

1500 m2

1.11

My role:

changes in the floor-plan arrangement, technical drawings of the demolition and new structures, preparing the drawing for other professions

1.17

1.35

1.18

1.7

1.9 1.3 1.4

1.1

1.5

1.21 1.8

The main problem was a lack of space for the cloakroom as well as cash desk, a small bar that resulted in long queues every break during the performances and not enough seating space. Therefore, I made a proposal for the new arrangement based on the drawings I got from the building company that was running the reconstruction. I suggested demolishing few walls so the space becomes more open and use the second floor for the seating.

1.13

1.30

1.15

1.24 1.18

1.22

1.29

1.14

1.28

1.31

1.7 1.19 1.26

1.6

1.23

1.12

1.25

1.16 1.17 1.27

1.33 1.11

1.32

1NP

1.20

1.10

Ill. 33 - The Small Theatre - floor-plan +1

The Small Theatre in Liberec, an alternative scene of the city theatre, has been going through the reconstruction of the building envelope and technical installation. While the theatre will have to be closed anyway and has some problems in the room arrangement and interior, we were invited to join the reconstruction and help from an architectural point of view.

1.30

1.27

1.10

1.6

2.1 2.16 PO

2.3 2.2 PO PO PO

2.5

2.14

2.17

2.4

2.8

2.10

2.11

2.12

2.13

2.15

2.6 PO

The project will continue in the following year as our architectural office is responsible to deliver the drawings of the light and electricity arrangement and later the interior and furniture drawings.

2.7

We discussed the suggested changes at the common meeting with the main project manager, construction site manager, representative of the municipality and the head of the theatre in and came into an agreement.

2.18

2.9

2NP Ill. 34 - The Small Theatre - floor-plan +2

ATELIER MJÖLK (NEW MJÖLK OFFICE)

Private investor

Phase:

Preliminary design

Size:

85 m2

My role:

floor-plan corrections, technical floor-plan drawing of electricity, detailed drawings of the kitchen furniture, elevations

Ill. 35 - Atelier Mjölk - front elevation

This was the final project I was working on. Mjölk architekti are going to move into a new office in May 2019 and that building is just being under the reconstruction so they asked the owners if they can plan and design their future office according to the needs of the architectural studio. The new office will be located in the city centre of Liberec, just behind a tiny park with one large tree and a really nice atmosphere. I was asked to look into the proposed floor-plan to check it and make some correction, later on to do the same with the technical drawing of the electricity.

2 x zásuvka ve výšce 300 nad podlahou 4 x zásuvka ve výšce 850 mm nad podlahou, světlo, řezačka, síťové připojení

2 x zásuvka ve výšce 600 mm nad podlahou, světlo, počítač, síťové připojení

venkovní vodovodní kohout s venkovní sprchou venkovní nástěné svítidlo na ose dveří

COD LOOSER HAO

6 x stropní svítidlo

TOB

zamýšlená poloha topného tělesa

MAO

zamýšlená poloha topného tělesa

GUL

PIVO

4 x zásuvka ve výšce 300 nad podlahou, počítače, lampa, síťové připojení,

It was necessary to visit the place and measure if the given dimensions are right and make small changes. Because I still had some time, I designed the future kitchen furniture as well. The suggested floorplans and changes will be discussed with the building owners in the following year and at the beginning of May the office should be ready for moving in.

2 x zásuvka ve výšce 300 nad podlahou vnitřní, 2 x zásuvka ve výšce 300 nad podlahou venkovní

nástěné svítidlo na fotobuňku na ose zdi

2525 4 x zásuvka ve výšce 850 mm nad podlahou, tiskárna, plotr, počítač - server

2850 8 x zásuvka ve výšce 1800 mm nad podlahou na ose horní skříňky, 4 x počítač, 4 x monitor,4 x světlo, sítově přípojení

8 x zásuvka ve výšce 1800 mm nad podlahou na ose horní skříňky, 4 x počítač, 4 x monitor, 4 x světlo, sítově přípojení

2 x zásuvka ve výšce 1300 mm nad podlahou, televize, počítač COD LOOSER HAO MAO

TOB

2 x stropní svítidlo

GUL

zamýšlená poloha topného tělesa, uloženo v nice pod oknem

PIVO

Ill. 36 - Atelier Mjölk - kitchen furniture

2 x zásuvka ve výšce 600 mm nad podlahou, světlo, počítač, síťové připojení

Client:

2 x zásuvka ve výšce 2 x zásuvka ve výšce 300 nad podlahou, 300 nad podlahou lampa, televize venkovní

Office

2 x zásuvka ve výšce 300 nad podlahou, lampa, projektor, síťové připojení,

Typology:

svítidlo umístěné pod horní skříňky kuchyně

Liberec, Czech Republic

kuchyňka, myčka, kávovar, RV konvice

Location:

Ill. 37 - Atelier Mjölk - electricity arrangement drawing

3 EPILOGUE REFLECTION CONCLUSION REFERENCES ILLUSTRATION LIST

REFLECTION For this part of the report, I chose several topics for the discussion and reflection of the academic internship. As I did an internship outside of Denmark, I am focused a lot on the differences between the Danish and the Czech approaches towards architecture and designing, design process and also sustainability. It also has to be noted that the office MjĂślk architekti is not a common studio. It has a relaxed and informal atmosphere and the relationships between colleagues are on a very personal level. They often spend vacations, trips or evenings together, they know each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s families who come to the office often just to say hi and have a coffee as well as many of their friends. I am really glad I was able to fit into the team well. Everybody was very open to me from the first day of my internship and I believe that it had a very positive effect on me personally and made me be thankful for this opportunity.

Ill. 38

THE DESIGN PROCESS The workflow at Mjölk architekti begins with an assignment from the client. Currently, there are more project offers from the clients than the studio is able to cover by the number of staff, so the architects and the back office manager meet usually once in two weeks to decide which project to take and which one not. What I personally observed from these meetings is that they usually choose those projects that are attractive, outstanding and challenging, like The Cheeky House in Hradec Králové with the extremely small building site. Secondly, it is also very important that they are on the same flow with the clients, basically, they look for open-minded and honest people with an interesting background.

Ill. 39

Last but not least, they pick up assignments which are not strictly limited by the budget or better to say where the clients are willing to pay a little bit more for an extra solution. This rule, however, does not apply to all of the projects, because sometimes the low budget is also a challenge. After the decision, they usually meet with the clients to get to know their visions, to get a better understanding of the assignment and to know the budget. They often visit the future building site as well. During these meetings usually two architects are present, when one of them is the future leader of the projects and is mainly responsible for keeping up with the deadlines and the communication. Then the analysis is being made. Usually, it consists of the investigation of the local plans and Czech building regulations. At the beginning of the sketching, only hand drawing is used for first mass models, schematic diagrams and room arrangement. These are later tested also in the computer in both 2D and 3D (AutoCAD and Rhino) and being developed more detailed.

Ill. 40

The first proposal is delivered to the clients after some time, which differs according to the size of the projects and also the current workload at the office. During these meetings, it is mainly about making sure that the client‘s and architect‘s ideas go the same way.

It usually consists of the basic mass model and schematic floorplans, as well as an isometric diagram of the building, which is the favourite way how to show the project in the office. Only one option is being shown. This is done because between more solutions there is always one that is the architectâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s most favourite and back in the time it often happened that the client chose something that they did not want him to do. Honestly said, often it is also done because of the tight deadline and not having enough time to try more options. After the meeting and the feedback from the clients the project is being developed again, this time to a more detailed version, and the new deadline is set. The standard submission consists of a text description, 2D drawings of a master plan, floor-plans, sections and elevations, 3D diagrams and both exterior and interior renders. If the submission is according to the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s wishes, it is considered a successful ending of the architectural study part. After this, the project is being processed through the optimization for the technical drawings for the building permit. During this time it is being consulted with other professions, especially statics, ventilation and fire department.

Ill. 41

All the architects in the office have an education from the Czech universities, which means they also have a very strong technical background for the designing as the studies are very technical-oriented. Two of them have also the authorization of an architect, which enables them to develop the projects independently, be signed under the projects and take the full responsibility for them in the Czech Republic. The civil engineers are present at the office usually 3 days in a week and work on the technical drawings for the building permits or building executions. The studio has also several contacts for special external supervision. All these aspects help clearly the design development to become more technically integrated from the very beginning. They also take advantage of the open-space office. It is very time efficient to get othersâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; opinions and advice right when there is some doubt and also easy to discuss the problems at the office. Ill. 42

The only downside that I personally found about the office is inefficient time management. There are no strict working hours and it is one‘s responsibility to get the things done on time. From what I experienced, the time before the noon is usually determined for answering emails, meetings with the clients or construction site checks, so the intensive work often starts after lunch. There are also many projects going on one time. This, however, often leads to delays in the projects and really tight deadlines. It is common that two days before the deadline everybody in the office works on that one project to get to job done and the working hours stretch into a late evening or even a night. On the other hand, no one expects you to be at the office in the early morning the next day and the celebrations of a successful submission are more intense because it is everybody‘s credit.

Ill. 43

From my point of view, the difference between the theory and the praxis is huge. The university environment is quite safe, we do not have to deal with some factors that are common in the real life, e.g. changes in the opinion of the client and budget or also many technical challenges, which influence the project much more than during our education. Therefore, it is necessary to be more flexible and have a better overview of the possibilities. The other significant part is that the real design development takes less time than the one at the university. The time is money here and it leads you to compromise during the process. As a professional, you also have a big responsibility to influence client‘s life with your design, so it is necessary to listen to them carefully. The building is not a statue, it is a living part of the people‘s lives and this should be on the mind of every architect. The time management was, however, not a significant change for me. I, personally, can work much better under the pressure, so this was this was almost the same as my daily routine at the university.

Ill. 44

INTEGRATED DESIGN PROCESS (IDP) The theory about the IDP as we know it from our master studies at the Aalborg University is completely unknown in the Czech Republic so at the beginning of my internship I was curious how things are done here. The process does not have a strict system, moreover, sometimes the phases are being used in a different order. For example, after the problem phase, the sketching comes often first and then the result is analysed. That sometimes can cause chaos and the loose of the time when the sketched idea does not fit into the information from the analysis, which is usually much shorter and often contains only information from the local plans, building regulations and the sun paths. The sketching phase is the one that I find the most similar to the university. Hand drawing is used a lot at Mjรถlk architekti, as a tool to express the ideas, opinions and moods and to quickly test new solutions. There is usually only one option being developed and detailed in the synthesis phase and that one is later presented to the client.

Ill. 45

All the process happens during a much shorter time than in the university and may seem a little bit messy. On the other hand, the people in the studio have more experience and also knowledge so the proposals are more technically integrated as they do not need to wait to discuss it with external professionals, but either know it by themselves or ask the civil engineers in the office. When I started in the office I was working on the proposals that were already in the process. Later on, when a new project came to our table (The Cheeky House), I asked my mentor if I can begin the project with the analysis as I am used to doing at the university. I was given full trust in this and prepared few sheets with the investigation of the local plans, building regulation, tomography, surrounding environment and reference buildings study. This had great success because we were really behind with this project and had only one and a half day to prepare the first concept study that we were supposed to present to the client and the analysis was a great base for starting the sketching phase and really fastened our work. Ill. 46

APPROACH TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY The sustainable designing was one of the most important reasons why I decided to study my master degree at the Aalborg University. Sadly, the Czech Republic is really behind in this matter, nothing pushes you to go for a sustainable solution. Of course, your building has to achieve a certain result in the energy level, but it is very easy to fulfil this criterion and it is not really checked during the construction later, especially for the smaller buildings. Also in my bachelor studies at the Czech Technical University in Prague, we did not have a single subject about sustainability. Moreover, during my bachelor thesis, I was told by my supervisor not to complicate my life with thinking about alternatives because in real life it brings more problems than benefits.

Ill. 47

This trend was also shown during my internship as we did not implement any of the sustainable solutions as a design criterion during any of the projects as we normally do at the university. No calculations about the energy demands were done during the processes. We did not add any option to have a renewable energy source. The decision about the materials was also made only according to the aesthetic matter and not the carbon footprint, Life Cycle Assessment or Life Cycle Cost. Only strategies that were taken into consideration were good daylight conditions and spatial quality, however, these were not really tested either and the decisions were being made mainly according to the experience. I would say that the main problem here is the lack of knowledge about this topic. If it is not mentioned at all at the university you cannot really blame the architects and engineers that they do not use it. If someone wants to implement some sustainable solutions during the design process, quite a lot of research has to be done because of the lack of literature and information. The other thing is that there are not many building companies who know the technology either.

Ill. 48

To sum up, the sustainable approach towards architecture is not very common in the Czech Republic, even it is going to be required by the building regulations in the upcoming years. On the beginning of my internship, I was told there will be a project of a sustainable off-grid cabin in the mountains, this was sadly postponed into the following year.

CONCLUSION To sum up my five-months internship at Mjรถlk architekti, it gave me a great experience in the architectural practice. I used my theoretical knowledge from my studies in real life and I am happy to say that I was able to complete the tasks I was given during my stay. The beginning was quite challenging as I had to get used to new daily routine and style of working and get to know new people. Luckily, everybody in the office was really helpful and nice to me, I was treated like a full-time employee and I was always asked what I prefer to do. I have to say that I am really glad that I chose a small studio because I felt 100% integrated and I was also given a lot of responsibility as well. I also improved my communication skills, because I was present at some meetings with the clients and other professions and I realise how important a good presentation of a project is. I worked on the different scale projects, as well as different phases. I also helped to prepare a political debate in Liberec before the municipal elections which was mostly oriented on the architecture and public spaces. My learning goals were reached, I can see a big improvement in the 2D drawings which I was able to do into great detail. I also expected to try new software so I learnt how to use Rhino for basic 3D modelling, however, I still have my limits here. Sadly, I was not able to use the render programme Lumion, because the licence works only at one computer and it was usually being used by somebody else. I believe that the internship experience will help me greatly in my future projects. I am thankful to the whole team of Mjรถlk architekti for the time I could spend with them, for the amazing memories I will always have on my mind and for the possibility to always come for a cup of coffee anytime I will be in Liberec again.

Ill. 49 - Thank you, Mjรถlk

REFERENCES Mjolk.cz. (2018). People | Mjölk architekti. [online] Available at: http://www.mjolk.cz/ en/people [Accessed 6 Sep. 2018]. Internship Agreement between AAU, Mjölk architekti and Karolína Tilňáková, 2018 ESTAV.cz. (2018). Česká republika je srovnatelná s Nigerem nebo Venezuelou délkou stavebního řízení. [online] Available at: https://www.estav.cz/cz/6976.ceska-republika-je-srovnatelna-s-nigerem-nebo-venezuelou-delkou-stavebniho-rizeni [Accessed 13 Dec. 2018]. Knudstrup, M-A (2004). Integrated Design Process in Problem-Based Learning: Integrated Design Process in PBL. in Kolmos, Anette : Fink, Flemming K. : Krogh, Lone (eds.) (ed.), The Aalborg PBL Model : Progress, Diversity and Challenges. Aalborg Universitetsforlag, Aalborg, pp. 221-234. ILLUSTRATION LIST Ill. 1 – Ill. 2 Ill. 3 Ill. 4 Ill. 5 – Ill. 6 Ill. 7 Ill. 8 Ill. 9 Ill. 10 Ill. 11 Ill. 12 Ill. 13 Ill. 14 Ill. 15 Ill. 16 Ill. 17 Ill. 18 Ill. 19 Ill. 20 Ill. 21 Ill. 22 Ill. 23 -

Sign on the wall - own photo Constant team of Mjölk architekti - 2017 - Tobiáš Hrabec The DOX house (Carbon), Pyšely, Czech Republic - 2014 - BoysPlayNice Martin Tůma, Jakub Skokan Ice Balls, Norway - 2017 - Vojtěch Hejtmánek Timeline - own production Spacious diagram of the project Vily Vratislavice - Mjölk architekti Master plan of project Vily Vratislavice - Mjölk architekti Exterior render - view from the new street - Mjölk architekti House 1 - floorplans and section drawings - Mjölk architekti Villa Zacka - masterplan - Mjölk architekti Villa Zacka - mass diagram - Mjölk architekti Villa Zacka – floorplan - Mjölk architekti Villa Zacka – section - Mjölk architekti National Museum - concept graphics - Mjölk architekti National Museum - pictograms - Ondřej Horáček National Museum - visualisation in the old building - Mjölk architekti National Museum - visualisation in the new building - Mjölk architekti The Cheeky House - masterplan - Mjölk architekti The Cheeky House - isometric render - Mjölk architekti The Cheeky House - exterior render - Mjölk architekti The Cheeky House - floorplans - Mjölk architekti The Cheeky House - front and yard elevations - Mjölk architekti The Cheeky House – sections - Mjölk architekti

Ill. 24 - The Cheeky House - interior render - kitchen and living room - Mjölk architekti Ill. 25 - The Cheeky House - exterior render – yard - Mjölk architekti Ill. 26 - The Lake House - isometric - Mjölk architekti Ill. 27 - The Lake House - floorplan +2 - Mjölk architekti Ill. 28 - The Lake House - exterior render - Mjölk architekti Ill. 29 - Souš - isometric - Mjölk architekti Ill. 30 - Souš - section - Mjölk architekti Ill. 31 - Souš - masterplan - Mjölk architekti Ill. 32 - Souš - exterior render - Mjölk architekti Ill. 33 - The Small Theatre - floorplan +1 - Mjölk architekti Ill. 34 - The Small Theatre - floorplan +2 - Mjölk architekti Ill. 35 - Atelier Mjölk - front elevation - Mjölk architekti Ill. 36 - Atelier Mjölk - kitchen furniture - Mjölk architekti Ill. 37 - Atelier Mjölk - electricity arrangement drawing - Mjölk architekti Ill. 38 – Mjölk life - 2018 - Tobiáš Hrabec Ill. 39 – Mjölk life - 2018 - Tobiáš Hrabec Ill. 40 - Mjölk life - 2018 - Tobiáš Hrabec Ill. 41 - Mjölk life - 2018 - Eliška Müllerová Ill. 42 - Mjölk life - 2018 - Eliška Müllerová Ill. 43 - Mjölk life - 2018 - Tobiáš Hrabec Ill. 44 - Mjölk life - 2017 - Tobiáš Hrabec Ill. 45 - Mjölk life - 2018 - Tobiáš Hrabec Ill. 46 - Mjölk life - 2018 - Tobiáš Hrabec Ill. 47 - Mjölk life - 2018 - Tobiáš Hrabec Ill. 48 - Mjölk life - 2018 - Tobiáš Hrabec Ill. 49 – Thank you, Mjölk - own photos collage