Schools for Future Generations: Seven Examples of Cultivated Architecture

This year’s theme of the Open House Europe joint project, which has also become the motto of the festival, is Past Heritage, Future Challenges. Because heritage serves as a profound source of inspiration, it invites us to reflect on what and why we are leaving behind for future generations. That is why we have chosen to focus on the shape of the schools in which we pass on education, culture and the ability to learn to our children. What values are important to us and how are they reflected in the architecture of school buildings?

The environment of transmitting cultural knowledge and life experiences is becoming a priority nowadays. According to the study Population and Public Amenities Forecast in Prague 2023–2050, published last year by the Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague. Prague, thousands of places are already missing in schools of all levels. Political representatives and education figures are devising ways to increase capacity in schools. Architectural competitions for new schools are being organised, and ways of reconstructing or expanding old schools are being proposed.

As part of the Open House Prague festival, several school buildings will be opened to the general and professional public during the festival weekend of May 17–18, 2025. Each of them responds to the need for new places in a different way: in some places bold new buildings are created, in others they try to adapt the original building to current climatic or social demands. The form of the new schools reflects both the more individualistic nature of a developed democratic society and different ideas about the ideal environment for educating the next generation.

One of the key issues regarding the shape of schools is how to transmit values, knowledge and understanding to children without losing the curiosity and joy of thinking and learning. The reconstruction of the Secondary Vocational School on Českobrodská Street in Hrdlořezy is a great example of how this is possible even on the ground plan of the original building. The team of Pavel Šulc, David Nývlt, Patricia Sičáková and Karolína Vojáčková radically transformed the building from the 1970s into a modern educational institution. In addition to insulation, they have skilfully used a range of technological solutions to make the school an energy and carbon positive building: the school produces more energy than it consumes. In addition, it manages drinking and rainwater efficiently, is smart, uncluttered and comfortable. Half an hour before class, the climate in the classrooms is adjusted so that students are neither hot nor cold and have a supply of fresh air. The school building thus becomes a direct and illustrative school tool for learning the principles of sustainability. The children perceive the importance of climate action in an unintentional way, as part of the school’s normal operation, and casually learn the principles crucial for a healthy future.

Climate change is a phenomenon facing many cities. The solution lies both in current technology and in foreign inspiration from countries where people have been adapting to dry and hot climates for centuries. The DRNH design team decided to follow this path when designing the new building of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences in Suchdol. The construction of the facade follows the original faculty building from the 1960s, but the material and morphological design is contemporary. The form of the southern façade is an important element in the climate measures. A steel structure has been erected here for planting bamboo trees that shade the interior spaces. In addition, the structure provides a number of other functions: relaxation, information and research. The vegetation has also made its way onto the residence roof. Learners can explore how the plants themselves help them replace mechanical and computer systems that elsewhere require heavy maintenance.

Another educational approach may be to radically deny the internal environment of the school altogether. Many forest nurseries work with this idea, whose philosophy is the saying “there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing”. One example of this working is the Žižkov forest classroom of the Milíčův dům Nursery School, which was realized by two studios: Terra Florida (Zuzana Štemberová) took care of the landscape design and Atelier Jasné (Jana Šaňáková) is the author of the concept and architectural and construction design. Small wooden houses for occasional living are scattered among the trees, the garden provides a number of natural play areas: hiding places among the bushes, hollows, hills, a fireplace or a vegetable garden. The realisation is proof that even within the city it is possible to create a place for free movement where children grow naturally in harmony with nature and its cycles.

Sustainability and respect for resources and limited urban space is also characterised by conversion, i.e. the transformation of buildings for a purpose other than their original use. The reconstruction of the Braník Brewery proves that it is possible to create an inspiring learning environment even from a building that was formerly used for brewing beer. The listed building has been transformed into the Dance Art Center, which houses a number of artistic institutions such as a conservatory, ballet companies, agencies and others. A conservatory preparatory school has also been established on the site and community activities take place. Milan Melicher’s design, in accordance with the requirements of the conservation area, did not interfere in any way with the volume of the original building, and in addition, many of the original features were repaired or retained. The site with its distinctive genius loci serves its purpose perfectly – creative activities – and the aesthetics of the neo-Renaissance building itself creates an inspiring, stimulating environment.

Not only the listed buildings, but also the remains of the wild construction from the 1990s can be used and developed. At that time, some universities expanded their capacity towards the outskirts of the city, within sight of the metro lines. Although such a relocation is not exactly an urban decision, it opens up interesting discussions about establishing closer contact with the city and strengthening the identity and relevance of the institution in the urban periphery. The architectural team consisting of Miroslava Tylšová, Judita Fischerová and Miloš Fischer worked on the design of the extension of the Faculty of Social Sciences in Jinonice with a complex, narrow, elongated site above a steep slope. However, they were able to use the potential of the slope to open up views of the city. The new building houses an open meeting space and a library in addition to a foyer and café. The design team emphasized the energy efficiency of the building: they used an energy-saving tempered (pre-cooled) concrete ceiling system, active ventilation through open windows, and a central heat recovery unit ventilates the entire interior space. The building has become an unmistakable landmark that has turned the attention of students and the public towards the urban periphery.

Related to the question of heritage is the need for dialogue: how to approach an architecturally valuable building and add contemporary values in addition to capacity? Sporadical, for example, has proposed an elegant solution. It designed an extension to the functionalist building of the Johannes Kepler Grammar School from the 1930s, made of exposed concrete. The gymnasium building still retains its blue window frames, and the colour scheme of the extension follows this element: the interior is dominated by a light blue shade, while the grey tones of the newly added gymnasium respond to the vertical articulation of the main building. The lowest floor of both the old and the new building is clad in dark grey artificial stone. What is particularly remarkable about the realisation is that it openly acknowledges a different period of creation. It does not pretend, it does not historicize. Yet it is sensitive to its surroundings and fits in perfectly given the terrain.

The final theme of Past Heritage, Future Challenges is a focus on the present and current trends. In many ways, the city-forming requirements and the orientation towards a new lifestyle are fulfilled by the construction of The FIZZ Prague, a private student residence designed by Pavel Hnilička. The urban planner and great critic of the settlement mash has put all the architectural lessons into practice: the building has a functional ground floor with shops and cafés, the main entrance is oriented towards the corner. The building was built in a place where, according to the principles of urbanism, a house belongs, not a gap, so it complements the street line in a meaningful way. The strictly symmetrical articulation of the façade suggests the purpose of the building: inside there are modest, utilitarian rooms for six hundred students. Doors open side by side into a generous atrium with pavilions, with daylight streaming in from above. The realisation is proof that student halls of residence for global learners are not just a place for occasional sleepovers, but become a real home for a few months, with all the services and comforts of a big city.

The project was supported by: