Public Spaces of Automatic Mills
The complex of the former Winternitz Automatic Mills in Pardubice, one of the first implementations of the architect Josef Gočár, ceased to serve its purpose in 2013. A year later, it became a national cultural monument. Our intention was to integrate the listed building into the new complex, where it will have a central position. The city, the region and a private person participated financially in the whole event. The aim was to create a new multifunctional urban space for cultural, educational institutions, and private activities. Thus, a kind of triangle of important urban spaces and objects was created, consisting of the Renaissance castle, Perštýn Square and the complex of the Automatic Mills.
By removing some existing buildings, we enhance the dominant frontal portal with the entrance arch and at the same time allow an unobstructed view of the entire site from the side of the historic part of the city. The creation of two new public spaces, which intentionally have a different character and function, is absolutely fundamental from the point of view of the revitalization of the mills. We confirm the main entrance with a designed square with a sycamore bosquet, where a water channel made of bricks for irrigation is led to each tree. It is primarily a quiet, representative entry point, but we assume that, for example, markets can be held here. Inside the new complex, we are creating the Mill Courtyard, which will be a lively space for holding exhibitions, concerts, or theatre performances in the open air. The proposed public spaces are considered only for the movement of pedestrians.
An integral part of the overall concept is the colour solution. The entire complex includes a number of objects of various functions, which were treated by four architectural studios. It was therefore very important to coordinate individual plans together. Our effort was to harmonize all new interventions into a uniform colour that follows the existing brick colour of the Automatic Mills. With this, we wanted to make the entire area more unified, including the walking areas, which are made of bricks and red mortar. The variety of individual objects with various functional uses should not create a chaotic impression.
