Proposal for the transformation of an administrative building into a modern co-living concept with accommodation in micro-apartments, shared co-working spaces, and a service parterre at the entrance to the pedestrian zone of the historical center of Banská Bystrica.
In the spirit of the motto—what is economic is also ecological—the design process was guided by the fact that the existing postmodern building's massive reinforced concrete structural base is still in very good technical condition, meaning that interventions into its structural core should be minimized as much as possible. Minimizing the costs of demanding alterations to the load-bearing structures allows investments to be directed into the quality of the required micro-apartments, co-living, co-working, or commercial spaces, as well as the creation of memorable exteriors, primarily in the form of new high-quality facades and an attractive rooftop terrace with views of the historic city center. The property is located at the southwestern edge of the town monument reserve, at the beginning of a busy pedestrian zone connecting a large shopping center with the historic square. In the past, a city entrance gate was located near the building in question, and this designed building is intended to serve as a visual "gateway" to the historic center of the city.
The surrounding area is defined by two distinct urban conditions. The first is Dolná Street, characterized by its structured, small-scale historical development, while the second is the loose, functionalist urbanism of the Fortnička housing estate, which begins at the intersection in front of our building and continues along the facade on Martina Rázusa Street. In addition to these two urban reference points, the building is flanked by two very different streets. Dolná Street is a pedestrian zone carrying a dominant urban pedestrian route, whereas Martina Rázusa Street is heavily burdened by vehicular traffic. The strategy for the future use of the building, especially its ground floor, directly responds to these specific street characteristics.
In terms of its current scale, the existing building forms an inappropriately large monoblock that reacts to its surroundings in a rather inhumane manner. By transforming its mass and structure based on modern urban principles, we aim to alter its impact on the surrounding historical context and achieve a more human-scale form of architecture. In our design, the key to transforming the object into modern architecture that harmoniously connects with its surroundings lies in the way the building links to the structure of Dolná Street. We propose to achieve this within the context of its historical scale and vertical rhythm, with a gradual gradation of masses leading toward the accent of the building's corner as a strong visual landmark—a unique and memorable visual gateway to the historic city center.
In line with the brief, the internal program of the building is filled with rental housing in the form of micro-apartments, supported by communal co-living spaces. The starting point is the existing spatial and floor area concept of the building, onto which we have mapped public and semi-public community spaces that form the backbone of the building's round-the-clock internal life. These modifications were designed primarily with respect to the original load-bearing structure and a reasonable technical complexity of the interventions. The placement of the apartments is tied to the geometry of the building and its solar orientation.
The natural approach to the building and its logical center is the corner, featuring the main entrance and an internal spatial lobby that opens up to the co-working spaces on the floor above, which also provides the main entrance to the residential and community parts of the house. From this central lobby, the ground floor bistro facilities are accessible, directly touching the pedestrian zone (east-facing facade), as well as a bakery touching Martina Rázusa Street (west-facing orientation). The remaining spaces on the ground floor are filled with functions according to the brief and are accessible from the street. The primary emphasis when designing the ground floor interiors should be on their future flexibility.
The micro-apartments are located in sections of the building that can receive sufficient daylight and sunlight. Positions that are less suitable for housing have been filled with communal functions; conversely, we sought to enhance the appeal of these spaces by connecting them to exterior terraces or an inner courtyard located on the roof of the gastro facilities' service background. Parking in the basement is maximized in accordance with the project requirements and complemented by technical spaces. The attic serves as the main co-living floor, housing communal social amenities. Shared hobby spaces, a small wellness area, and a community living room with a kitchen are seamlessly connected to the terraces and the rooftop terrace above. Due to the opportunity for attractive views, rooftop floors tend to be the most intriguing. On this level, the combination of housing and community facilities should take the form of shared rooftop terrace spaces, which, in addition to relaxation, should be utilized as a community rooftop garden or a laid-back leisure area.
The result of our design is a new, human scale for the building, a strong urban connection to the surrounding heritage-protected context and the historical structure of Dolná Street, an attractive exterior featuring a memorable green corner that serves as a gateway to the city, and a well-thought-out interior with an operational flow that stays vibrant throughout the day. Our aim was also to achieve this outcome with an appropriate level of investment, which inherently links to a reasonable carbon footprint that any construction activity entails. Transforming an existing building structure always imposes a significantly lower environmental burden than constructing a new one.
Braňo Hovorka, Martin Paulíny, Rado Krajňak, Karol Ličko, Petra Sitárová
Renderings by negativ.com
Competition design
2026
