Wedding in the granary. The storage room of the baroque farmhouse was converted into a multifunctional hall
In the hilly landscape of Posázav, the agricultural farm in Benice near Benešov is a must-see thanks to its unique location. Three farm buildings were connected to form an equilateral triangle through a baroque renovation. Thanks to a successful renovation, the former granary has now become a multifunctional hall. A special feature is the spiral staircase that provides access to the gallery under the open roof. Thanks to sensitive interventions, modern elements harmonize naturally with the original historical ones.
At the request of František Václav from Vrtba, it was rebuilt in the form of a farmhouse with an equilateral triangle. The triangle was the symbol of the patron saint of the Vrtb family – Saint Anne.
| Photo: Courtesy of Ondřej Bouška
It is said that the builder chose the unusual layout of the property at the request of the property’s owner, František Václav of Vrtba, because the triangle was a symbol of St. Anne, the family’s patron saint. Currently, the site is used to accommodate guests, organize various corporate or private events, the owners breed Old Kladrubské horses and there is a riding school here.
Instead of grain, the wedding party is happy
One of the buildings, a former spy in the southwest barn, was recently renovated extremely successfully under the direction of the 1:1 Architects studio. The room, which is open to the roof and has small windows and was originally used to store grain, is now used for weddings, celebrations and conferences. The simple and clear-looking multifunctional hall thus offers a solid visual background for social events that decorate and enliven the room.
The roof insulation and the new underlay had to function acoustically well at the same time. It consists of slats with mutual spacing.
“It was more challenging to find technical solutions that would work well in the almost three-century-old house,” says architect Tomáš Feistner, who was involved in the redesign of the granary together with Pavla Feistnerová and Štěpán Psotka. Of course, it wasn’t the first renovation of the building.
Photos from the 1970s show that only the surrounding walls of the building remained at that time; later renovations partially restored the building to its original shape. However, modern fertilizers were stored there instead of grain, which led to salinization of the walls. That’s why it had to be ventilated every now and then chemical reaction of desalination.
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With its reddish color, the new concrete floor refers to the earthiness of the building’s original use. “We had to create a ventilated gap under the floor to prevent non-breathing due to the installation of the new floor Download soil moisture into the original walls,” adds Tomáš Feistner, describing the technical solution.
The interior renovations also included a new wooden soffit for the roof. The floor covering gave the hall better acoustic properties. The glass cylinders of the lighting, arranged in a regular grid, give the room an almost sacred character.
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There was no need to change the spy’s disposition. However, the use of the hall was made more difficult by various installations. Architects have recently largely removed these deposits.
The centrally located spiral staircase became the dominant element of the open space in the former grain store. This is the only dispositional change in the earlier Spejchar. The subtle black steel construction forms a strong contrast to the surrounding, white-plastered, bumpy stone walls.
The staircase surrounds a concrete pipe that also supports the gallery. The stairs alone wouldn’t hold her up.
“We clearly recognize the new elements in the room and take care of the original, valuable ones,” says Tomáš Feistner.
The architects proposed two variants: a more calm variant, in which the staircase was placed in the corner of the hall, and the other radical variant with a central location. The owners of the farm have this option in which The stairs immediately catch the eye, She likes. Although they knew it would require a lot more care.
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The staircase then encloses a concrete pipe that also supports the gallery. The stairs alone wouldn’t hold her up. A bar made of plywood and cement screed was built under the gallery. A spiral staircase visually separates the bar from the rest of the hall, which opens onto the roof.
“The entire implementation is far from our sole achievement, but the result of intensive collaboration between a larger team of designers, implementers and suppliers, including investors, without whose care and commitment the result would not be nearly as successful,” conclude the architects.
Reconstruction of the interior of the Spejchar on a farm in Benice
Authors 1:1 Architects, Ing. Architect Pavla Feistnerová, Ing. Bogen. Tomas Feistner
Collaboration: Ing. Bogen Štěpán Psotka
Responsible designer: Ing. Bogen. Tomas Feistner
Construction part: Ing. Ivan Záruba,
Constructive solution: Ing. Viktor Bakstein
Electrical installation: Ing. Michal Zůrek
Heating + cooling + ventilation: Ing. Franz Basl
Fire protection solution: Ing. Jan Vodehnal
Moisture and salinity analysis: Ing. Michael Balík, CSc.
realization
Main supplier: Reno sro
Stairs: JoFo sro
Carpentry products: Kotyza carpentry
Photographer Ondřej Bouška / www.ondrejbouska.com / @ondrejbouskaphotography