PSJ succeeds in the CONSTRUCTION OF THE YEAR ABROAD competition
22 Sep 2011
Traditional competition “Construction of the Year” prepared an innovation for its 19th annual, consisting in taking into account increasing construction activities of Czech companies abroad. On the 8th September 2011 the Award of the new category CONSTRUCTION OF THE YEAR ABROAD was bestowed to PSJ, with its Reconstruction of the Czech Embassy in Brasília, Brazil.
The Award was given to the company PSJ for the “Restoration of an important building belonging among modern Czech architecture representing the Czech Republic abroad”.
The author of the design of the Embassy reconstruction was a team composed of architects Ms Magdalena Hlaváčková, Mr Petr Hlaváček and Mr Ondřej Korčák. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic had the position of the investor. Reconstruction works performed the Export Division of the joint-stock company PSJ, under the leadership of Mr Jaroslav Řičánek, Project Manager.
The reconstruction and modernization of the Czech Embassy in Brazil was in process from January 2009 to January 2010 and represented an investment cost of CZK 97.5 million (USD 5.101,700).
In terms of architecture, the new urban design respected the effort to maintain the aesthetic quality of the High-Modernist building from 1960s, and was based on the change of the method of the main building’s use and related modification of an access to the premises. Originally the two-storey building, placed in the rearmost part of the joint Czech-Slovak land, had been used only to housing; it was changed to serve as administrative, too. The access to the main building had not been optimal, therefore the entrance building (gatehouse and visa department) grew on the driveway. The main atrium building was functionally divided into the northern wing of the administrative and diplomatic functions and the southern wing with the function of living, comprising four flats and two studios. The restored atrium with a decorative pool did not change its original purpose, which was to serve both residential and office section and accommodate technical facilities underground.
The extensive reconstruction affected entire Embassy area, including inter-area network, roads, fencing, and renovation of a swimming pool in the southern part of the garden. Further to the inter-area road system, fourteen new parking lots were built near the administrative part of the main building and at the new entrance to the Embassy complex.