Gočár Gallery Extension

ACME’s proposal presents a simple spatial concept that maximises the use of the recently refurbished historic mill building by Josef Gočár to the public and concentrates all art storage and ancillary offices into the silos at the back, so the spaces that were once designed to store flour, retain their original use but store art instead.

The proposal keeps interventions to the minimum, which are both sustainable and most economical solutions for the site. Three key elements that bring the project alive are as follows:

Vertical core - a multifaceted communication device that connects the public plaza with the riverside and galleries across all levels whilst offering views into the depositories and peaking up into the skyline as a glowing glass-block box leading up to a new public terrace with a bar and facilities.

New depositories  - the project takes all of the existing art storage away from the historic building, extents it for future-proofing purposes and locates it into the silos. The existing concrete structures are stripped to the structural bones and used to provide a stable environment required to store art. Sculptural openings are cut through the concrete walls along the vertical core to create visual connections for the visitors.

Office facade - the last key intervention is the sculpted glass facade facing the square and serving the gallery office space behind it. Inserted into the existing brick fabric a delicate transparent brickwork columns.