The whole project was initiated by an American sponsor of Slovak origin who decided to give this school as a gift for young people in his native region. As donated money could hardly cover all costs, it was necessary to achieve maximum with minimal expense.
The Art School is situated in the centre of Smižany, in the place where the former “teacher’s house” had stood. The building completely covers the whole ground, it copies its shape and contours. The building is accessible both from the main square and the street by the river. The composition reflects the village measure scale, historical background and function. The intention is to capture children’s feelings and children’s world (presented in size, color, freedom of the object) and to create “their own school”. The task was also to express certain autonomy of the building with regard to time and cultural connections.
At the beginning of the design project our team faced a dilemma of how to “enter“the existing urban structure – should we preserve, stabilize, stimulate or provoke it? We found help in a rich cultural and historic tradition of the Spiš region and its ability to accept and absorb various architectural styles since the middle Ages. And it was just this principle of liberaration that appeared as the most appropriate method in our work.
The Art School is designed as “kit” for developing children’s talents. It is a set of “big blocks” or “containers” assembled as children’s toy. The largest white container is situated in the main square and it houses a multipurpose hall. In the side street there are smaller blocks housing particular branches of study: the orange box – dancing, the blue – multimedia and the green – painting. Classrooms for music lessons are situated along adjoining land. The whole complex is connected by a corridor or “passage” from which all school activities can be seen. The facade fulfills the same function from the outside. A slightly declining terrain is leveled with ramps in the corridor. The technical construction of the building demonstrates generally presented idea of simplicity – brick walls and wooden roof joists at a minimal – 6% slope for a trapezoidal roofing. The dynamics of the composition is reached by the convergence, divergence and mutual overlapping and is tuned by oblique gable walls and the volume of the building. The basic colour scheme is cold – white, blue, green. The main entrance is accented in orange, but color can vary. The front facade is decorated with pupils´ paintings.