The Sendražice Primary School is located on the northern outskirts of Kolín, behind the industrial zone, south of the historic core of the village in the vicinity of the Hluboký Brook. The school building was built in 1921 according to a design by architect Jan Nedbal, later a gymnasium and a “villa” were added, and in 1973 a kindergarten was built in the western part of the campus.

The first phase of our work was a volume study of the whole complex. The concept of a new entrance courtyard, accessible from Školní Street, serving both the primary and kindergarten, was created, providing disabled access to all buildings. We see the potential to restore a pedestrian connection across the Hluboký potok, which would enable easier access to the site from the south.

The design of the school extension respects the original three buildings: the main school building, the gym and the villa and assumes the demolition of the sanitary extension. The two-storey new wing enters between the mass of the main building and the gym, curving along the stream to the south.  The space between the new wing and the gym is completed by a single storey mass of entrance atrium open to the new courtyard. The existing kindergarten and canteen is inappropriately located on the site regarding the urban linkages and the functional link to the school (impossibility to connect the school and the school canteen), therefore the proposal includes a new kindergarten and canteen building. All new volumes are designed as two storeys with flat roofs in order not to interfere with the complicated roofscape of the existing buildings.

The extension of the elementary school transforms the building into a modern school that meets the current educational needs. In addition to four classrooms and new cloakrooms, it offers pupils generous meeting spaces. The main such space is the junction where the main school building, the new wing and the gym meet. The space is lit from above by a skylight, with a circular opening visually connecting the ground floor to the first floor. The entrance atrium can be connected to the gymnasium, offering the school a flexible space for special occasions.

The subject of our work was architectural design, the project for permits and implementation documentation.