Reclaim Žižkov Master's Thesis (part 2)

RECLAIM PRAGUE

A COLLECTIVE LIVING

NETWORK

MARTIN MRÁZ

UNIVERSITY OF LIECHTENSTEIN

WS2021

2 THE SEED RECLAIMING THE HOUSE

rearrangement for a spontaneous assembly

(author's drawing)

Fig.11 INFORMALITY

OBJECTIVES

Reclaiming the small town house is the first attempt to activate the town hall block and at the same time a learning by doing. On a small scale, the potentials and limits of the programmatic and design principles are tested in order to scale up to the block in the second phase. This is the seed of the project. Here, we focus equally on housing and additional programs that bonded together create a functioning microcosm organized by a collective of people. Outlining the program is influenced by the manifesto of the earlier mentioned autonomous social center Klinika, who was also interested in renting this house.

Prague needs a social space that will be:

epicenter - a place of new cultural, social, and political impulses and the spread of ecological lifestyle; creative place

school for all - a natural connection between the academic and nonacademic spheres and people of different generations; a living university without credits for all generations; live school of engagement

container - variable interconnection and combination of already existing "islands" of Czech and Central European independent culture; an encounter with "otherness"

port - a low-threshold center based on non-commercial culture, helping (not only) young people in the normal running of the center to find out what they have a talent for and learn to work with it; a port where it is possible to rest for a while, read, talk or create manually

tool - living, energy-saving, and environmentally sensitive architecture, flexible - responding to the requirements of the program of home users (reconstruction or construction);

second home - the center is open all day, not only during courses or performances;

(informal collective Klinika, pp. 1-2, 2014).

self-publishing a booklet & reparing a chair

(author's drawing)

Fig.12 CREATIVITIY

METHODOLOGY

Translating a political manifesto into architectural spaces required an in-between methodological step. As a means of translation I drew imaginary moments showing people expressing the project's intentions in everyday life. These illustrations put emphasis on informality, creativity, and improvisation with an overlap to spatial qualities, and were essential to begin the designing process. Simultaneously, another decision needed to be made concerning the approach to the existing. On the one hand, approaching the existing with as little intervention possible is a means to reduce the construction costs and shortening the construction process. At the same time, making only the necessary decisions and embracing the unfinished leaves space for later adaptation by the occupants. On the other hand, expecting the collective expanding their activities in time opens space for new interventions, possibly even outgrowing the original. As a result, the design approach is seen in phases, reclaiming the town house piece by piece.Every phase is followed by a main design element promoting a new reclaimed space in the house.

restaurant turned into a take-away during the lockdown

(author's drawing)

Fig.13 IMPROVISATION

(author's drawing)

Fig.14 SEED DEVELOPMENT

Fig.15 SITUATION DOORS

translate the irregular outlines created by the past interventions into distinctive entrance experiences used differently during events

(author's drawing)

is a light weight furniture-like partition allowing to separate existing rooms while adding the missing bathrooms and storage

(author's drawing)

Fig.16 HOLLOW WALL

(author's drawing)

Fig.17 BACKYARD PADDING

fills up the small space in between the house and the neighboring blank walls to gain a medium size event space

(author's drawing)

Fig.18 ROOFTOP CONTAINERS

out of wooden prefabricated insulated panels sit on top of the original roof top floor to create rooms for housing inside and a central elevated space in between

is an entry to the house open to everyone

(author's drawing)

Fig.19 LIBERATED LOBBY

is a side story of the lobby, where visitors get keys to different doors, take-away drinks, or an occasional bowl of soup. The bar itself can be split into two pieces and travel around the house.

(author's drawing)

Fig.20 SPLIT BAR

functions as a public living room most of the time, where people from the house can expand their shared space and visitors can spend time without having to consume

(author's drawing)

Fig.21 RECLAIMED THEATRE

Fig.22 RECLAIMED THEATRE

is prepared to become an event space and host a medium size event of about fifty people. Curtain is stored in the book shelve, mobile stage next to the window, and furniture storage is accessed through the floor

(author's drawing)

is a central living space of a 6-8 people cluster apartment connecting common kitchen and private bedrooms (author's drawing)

Fig.23 FLATMATE FOYER

liberated lobby / service spaces

(author's drawing)

Fig.24 GROUND FLOOR

public port / service spaces / interior windows / reclaimed theater

(author's drawing)

Fig.25 FIRST FLOOR

creating corner / service spaces / balcony / rooftop

(author's drawing)

Fig.26 SECOND FLOOR

flatmate foyer / shared kitchen / separable guest room / winter garden

(author's drawing)

Fig.27 THIRD FLOOR

bedrooms / youngster / yuppie couple / loner / dressmaker / movie lover

(author's drawing)

Fig.28 FOURTH FLOOR

(author's drawing)

Fig.29 RECLAIM PRAGUE COLLECTIVE

(author's drawing)

Fig.30 SEED AXONOMETRIC SECTION

LEARNING

Presented sequence of drawings and images shows a path towards a bundle of semipublic, semi-private, and private spaces organized by one collective of people. It is an attempt to create a flexible and diverse economical unit, which fills up the wealth pool created for the construction through collecting rents for housing, renting out individual workshop rooms, or running events and courses. The intersection of housing with different functions shows how the minimized private living space can be compensated with a portion of large common space where the members can not only spend their time, but also meet people outside the collective.