Richard Meier & Partners finaliza el edificio de los tribunales City Green Court

El edificio se concibe como un volumen geométrico en diálogo con el contexto cercano que, al tiempo, contrasta y respeta a los edificios circundantes. Más pequeño en escala que su predecesora y hermana City Tower, está igualmente inspirada en el lenguaje del cubismo checo, con una fachada que al abordar cuestiones de conservación y sostenibilidad, incorpora formas que recuerdan a este movimiento avant-garde. La cita a continuación, en esencia, resume la filosofía y los conceptos detrás del Green Court:

«El cubistas checo cree que la verdadera energía interior de un objeto sólo podría ser liberada mediante la ruptura de las superficies verticales y horizontales que la restringen y reprimen en el diseño convencional. Mediante la incorporación de planos en ángulo en el diseño de los objetos cotidianos, trataron de darles un dinamismo que los convirtieron en obras de arte por derecho propio«.

Distintivos sólidos paneles verticales con aletas inclinadas, de acuerdo con la orientación del sol, se integran en el diseño del muro cortina, emergiendo en las fachadas sur y oeste para reducir al mínimo y equilibrar la ganancia de calor solar proporcionando sombra y confort a los interiores. La combinación de paneles de vidrio de aleta, la visión clara y la caja de sombra dan esas fachadas un ritmo singular, la textura y la articulación. Pequeños balcones añaden expresión a los lados sur y oeste del edificio.

Dukho Yeon, socio a cargo del diseño, comenta: «La solución de diseño para el City Green Court establece nuevos estándares de calidad del espacio y la arquitectura respecto a un típico proyecto especulativo de edificio de oficinas. La materialidad y la forma se controlan con gran disciplina y moderación reduciéndolas a los elementos esenciales. Es un edificio sobrio con una enorme presencia, que se transforma dramáticamente dependiendo de las vistas. Estamos muy orgullosos de nuestros logros con nuestros socios checos«.

El edificio de ocho pisos se organiza en torno a un atrio central de cielo iluminado rodeado por espacios de oficinas eficientes. Hacia el sur, un gran dosel marca la entrada formal al edificio y conduce a un vestíbulo de una sola altura y a un atrio de varios pisos. Los extremos sur-occidental y nor-oriental del edificio están erosionados, creando pequeñas galerías públicas. Estos recortes, que se reflejan a lo largo de una diagonal noroeste – sureste, se hacen eco de la pared – cortina que particiona y crea un sutil dinamismo al edificio. Sobre las siete plantas de oficinas, el penthouse es revitalizado por un extenso techo verde y un tragaluz. En el interior, el atrio alberga un árbol y una pared verde, con puentes que van desde un lado al otro del espacio. Una escalera conecta los primeros cuatro pisos promoviendo un menor uso del transporte vertical.

El edificio ha obtenido la certificación LEED Platinum en la República Checa por la drástica reducción del consumo de energía. Además de ser muy eficiente la envolvente del edificio, algunas de las medidas más importantes para la certificación LEED incluyen la ventilación natural durante el verano, el estado técnico de los sistemas mecánicos, la reducción del uso del agua y la recolección de aguas pluviales, el techo verde, el control de calidad del aire interior y el uso de materiales locales y reciclados.

Original Text in English

City Green Court is the third of a cluster of buildings designed by Richard Meier & Partners and it completes the corner of the Radio Plaza superblock located in the Pankrac area of Prague. The building is conceived of as a geometric volume in dialogue with the near context while offering respected contrast to the surrounding buildings. Smaller in scale than its predecessor and sibling, City Tower, it is equally inspired by the language of Czech Cubism, with a façade that while addressing issues of conservation and sustainability incorporates forms reminiscent of this avant-garde movement. The quote below, in essence, sums up the philosophy and concepts behind City Green Court.

“The Czech Cubists believed that an object’s true internal energy could only be released by breaking up the vertical and horizontal surfaces that restrain and repress it in conventional design. By incorporating angled planes into the design of everyday objects, they tried to give them a dynamism that turned them into works of art in their own right.”

Distinctive vertical solid panels with fins, angled according to the sun orientation and integrated into the design of the curtain wall, emerge from both the south and west facades to minimize solar heat gain and to provide balanced shading and comfort towards the interiors. The combination of fin panels, clear vision glass and shadow box give the south and west facades a singular rhythm, texture and articulation. Small balconies add expression to the building’s south and west sides.

Dukho Yeon, Design Partner-in-charge, comments: “The design solution for City Green Court sets new standards of quality of space and architecture for a typical speculative office building project. The materiality and form are controlled with considerable discipline and restraint pared down to the essential elements. It is an understated building with a huge presence, transforming dramatically depending on the views. We are extremely proud of our accomplishments with our Czech partners.”

The eight-story building is organized around a central sky lit atrium surrounded by efficient office floor spaces. To the south, a grand canopy marks the formal entrance to the building which leads into a single height lobby and a multi-story atrium. The southwest and northeast corners of the building are eroded, creating small, public arcades. These cuts, mirrored along a diagonal from northwest to southeast, echo the curtain wall parti and create a subtle dynamism to the building. Atop the seven office floors the partial mechanical penthouse level is revitalized by an extensive green roof and skylight. Inside, the atrium houses a tree and green wall, with bridges above spanning from one side of the space to the other, and a free standing stair connecting the first four floors promoting less use of vertical transportation.

City Green Court has achieved LEED Platinum certification in the Czech Republic by drastically reducing energy consumption. In addition to its very efficient building envelope, some of the most important measures towards LEED certification include natural ventilation of the atrium during the summer, state-of-the-art mechanical systems, reduction of water runoff and storm water collection, green roof, indoor air quality control and the use of local and recycled materials.

Marie Passburg, President of Skanska Property Czech Republic, comments: “We were proud to cooperate with Richard Meier & Partners Architects on the redesign of City Green Court to meet the growing interest in green, modern and flexible office space that offers a stimulating work environment. Together with the enthusiasm and commitment from Richard Meier & Partners Architects we have managed to achieve LEED platinum certification.”

Richard Meier comments:
“We have worked together with Skanska to make City Green Court a benchmark for green building design in the Czech Republic. The completed structure has a LEED Platinum rating, reflecting its strategies to conserve energy and to use environmentally friendly building materials. This assignment has been particularly challenging as it also meant addressing the historic beauty of Prague and at the same time creating a modern image of the City for its future.

Above all we hope this Master Plan for the Pankrác Plains becomes a catalyst for growth. After 10 years of hard work and dedication we are now seeing the result – which is an incredibly robust neighborhood, a new urban fabric rich with activity, and an optimistic view of urbanism for Prague.”