PLACE AND COMMUNITY

The community that arises in connection with a place is a phenomenon that offers an abundance of positives for both people and their environment. Yet, our world tends to move away from it. In this work, I attempt, through the design of a community center, to explore whether and how it is possible to support and cultivate a community in our environmentone that identifies with a place, claims it as its own, and assumes responsibility for it. The design is situated in the building of the Žižkov Freight Stationa site that has long ceased to serve its original purpose but still possesses significant historical and technical value and an impressive genius loci. This building is located in the heart of a newly emerging district, making it a perfect candidate to become its natural center. Furthermore, it is now owned by the city, allowing it to truly fulfill functions that will serve local residents. The design focuses on the main building, which undergoes considerable changes due to programmatic requirements, and on the first four sections of the wings, where only the internal layout is altered. The design is organized so that the individual institutions occupying the space are rationally separated while still enabling interaction between them. The operations are interconnected and overlap at several points. The core principle is the concentration of various phases of cultural creation within a single complex. The rear sections will house an elementary or secondary school, accompanied by an arts elementary school or similar institutions. This creates the first pillareducation. The front sections, which are best interconnected and lie at the interface of local and municipal relationships within the complex, will feature a cluster of functions that support and combine artistic and cultural activities. The center should provide an opportunity for emerging artists from Žižkov to get a foothold and start creatingwhether in music, visual arts, theater, or other artistic forms. This forms the second pillar of the processcreation. The main building itself serves as the entrance to the complex, a space whose appearance largely represents the entire complex, as it is located directly on the main street and, more importantly, at the end of the important Žižkov axis of Olšanská Street. This building is therefore intended to culminate the entire process and represent the third pillarpresentation. It is to become the showcase of the complex, where the artists working here also have a space to present their art to anyone passing by. In this way, the complex enables artistic realization in all phaseseducation, creation, and presentation. In all these phases, the community plays an integral role, helping it become more active and identify with the place they live in through its local art.