zig zag architecture
Sports hall in Modrice with modelling plaster facade
 Czech architecture is in the tradition of precise craftsmanship, which we still admire today. If we compare this period with the present, it becomes clear that decorative plaster and structural facades are not preferred by investors. The reason for this is usually the higher labor intensity and thus the higher cost of the work. This makes it all the more worthwhile to pay attention to projects in which the plaster or façade does not fulfill a purely technical function, but rather creates a certain context. An example of this is the new sports hall in Modřice. Studio bod architekti, s.r.o created the design.
Concrete monolith

The task of the architects was to design a functional sports hall and community center and to relate them to the existing building,. The center was to be a 45 x 25-meter sports area that needed only to be divided into three separate playing fields. "We formally divided the mass of the new hall into three buildings to meet the specifications for the internal use of the site while respecting the existing mass of the neighboring house," explains Jáchym Svoboda of the bod architekti studio. "A much more complicated task was to design the system of 'clean and dirty aisles' in such a way that people coming from outside and athletes would not meet each other," adds Jáchym Svoboda. 

 

The hall is designed as a monolithic reinforced concrete structure with walls 200 to 300 mm thick, covered partly with steel and partly with reinforced concrete. This is supplemented by skylights. The floor of the hall is below ground level. In this way, height continuity with the neighboring building was maintained.  The complex also includes three clay courts and a multipurpose artificial turf field. In parallel with the construction of the new site, the neighboring historic house was renovated, preserving the traditional restaurant on the first floor, while the two upper floors were used for residential purposes.
The sculptural facade is a unifying element

The monolithic structure of the building was executed with a composite thermal insulation system ETICS Cemixtherm COMFORT EPS. The insulation material in this case consists of 200 mm thick expanded polystyrene, which was bonded to a perfectly clean, mature and solid surface using Cemix 2230 ADHESIVE AND LEVELLING COMPOUND TOP. This mixture was also used for filling the surface (supplemented by a fiberglass fabric). The polystyrene was anchored with Fischer Ecotwist dowels. Then the primer Cemix Penetration ASN was applied, on which the final plaster Cemix 2711 MINERAL PLASTER WITH FIBRE was applied. This modeling plaster became the main motif, providing an important link between the new and the historic building. "We were looking for the most appropriate way to visually unite the two surfaces. Even though the house is not a listed building, we didn't want to simply apply a matte finish, which would of course be easier and cheaper, but we were looking for a detail that would stand out at first glance and correspond with the historic façade of the neighboring house," explains Jáchym Svoboda. "We don't use modeling plasters programmatically, but when we're looking for a specific context, they have their place. Once we had an approved design, we had to find a solution for implementation together with the construction company, and the choice finally fell on Cemix," adds Jáchym Svoboda. Based on practical tests in the CEMIX laboratories, the proposed "serrated profile" was further modified before it was given its final shape. 

 

Before the actual application of the plastic plaster, a guide profile was placed on the substrate, on which a specially made template made of stainless steel sheet was then moved to bring the applied plaster layer into the desired shape. The work was carried out from top to bottom and an important detail was the continuous connection of the profile teeth of the plaster on the vertical walls of the building. In this way, the continuous lines were maintained, which was achieved, as shown in the attached pictures. "This building is very important for the city of Modřice, it has become an important and well-visited community center. Therefore, our goal was that the confrontation of the two adjacent areas should not be detrimental. The light colors of the finishing plaster harmonize with the surroundings, but at the same time reduce the thermal load on the facade, which will lead to a longer life of the ETICS system in the future."  

The facade construction with the Cemixtherm COMFORT EPS insulation system meets all the technical parameters required by the client. This means that with the EPS insulation material used (thermal conductivity coefficient lD  = 0.039 W/m.K), the facade has a heat transfer coefficient of U = 0.18 W/(m2.K), which is close to the parameters of a passive house. Finally, Cemix Elastic Coating in shade SE 55 (gray) was applied to the molded plaster. The realized building became an inspiration of how to use the wide potential of Cemix plasters to create a characteristic detail of the building, while showing the advantages of a system solution in line with the efficiency and economy of the building.