mateo arquitectura rethinks the prague national gallery entrance

‘prague national gallery entrance’ by mateo arquitectura, prague, czech republicimage © adria goulaall images courtesy of mateo arquitectura

among the converted palaces that make up prague’s historical castle and house a museum complex, a new entrance was designed in a previously empty space as the result of a competition first held in 2004. barcelona-based practice mateo arquitectura conceived of the space as two parallel horizontal planes that sit within the original walls maintaining a respectful separation from the aging construction. the floor surface hovers slightly above the ground following the subtle elevation changes, manifested in polished wood planks. the roof plane, a singular canopy that doesn’t quite meet the boundaries of the surrounding buildings, allowing natural light to seep in through the periphery clearly marking the separation of new and old spaces. covered in gravel, the roof structure seems to elevate what was once the ground, concealing beneath it an open-plan space with an almost invisible metal structure and an enveloping glass wall that showcases the original enclosing walls and their intricate motifs. immaculately clean details and material choices lend to an ideal environment that visually synthesizes the site’s unique characteristics in a multifunctional space full of natural light and reflections.

video © adria goula photo

(left) new structure sitting in a courtyard between gallery buildings(right) lookout platformimage © adria goula

reflective glass offering views of the original wallsimage © adria goula

large multi-functional spaceimage © adria goula

entranceimage © adria goula

receptionimage © adria goula

image © adria goula

floor changes elevation with the ground planeimage © adria goula

image © adria goula

original wall motifsimage © adria goula

(left) floor detail(right) roof structure connection to glass facadeimage © adria goula

interior metal structureimage © adria goula

skylights created in the roof planeimage © adria goula

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project info:

author: josep lluís mateoclient: national gallery of czech republicsite: salm palace, hradcanske square, pragueproject: 2004construction: 2009 – 2012surface: 1.500 m2structural engineering: agustí obiol – bomalandscaping: manuel colominasinstallations engineering: grupo jgfire protection: francesc labastidaphotography: adrià goula

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