Pardubice will build a new elementary school in Polabiny, architectural design selected

The city of Pardubice has selected an architectural design to build a new elementary art school in Polabiny. The town hall has the ambition to turn it into a regional cultural and creative centre. The capacity of the school will be up to 1200 children. Construction is due to start in the second half of 2026, according to an announcement from the municipality.

"The selection of the winning design was a lengthy organizational process. I look forward to seeing how the new school environment will contribute to the development of the artistic abilities of children in the area. If we keep a very optimistic view, construction could start around the second half of 2026," said Jiří Kabát, the school's headmaster.

The winner of the competition was the Pardubice studio Med Pavlík architekti, which has designed Natura Park, public spaces in front of the train station, a kindergarten in Svítkov and an apartment building with a piazza in Smilova Street. The design of the new school building respects the urban concept of the housing estate in Polabiny, said Deputy Mayor Jakub Rychtecký (Žijeme Pardubice/ČSSD).

"The new building will offer teaching in all four disciplines, dance, music, art and literature and drama. The current operation of the ZUŠ is fragmented into several buildings, some of which the school has to pay commercial rent. On the other hand, some non-residential premises owned by the city will be used by the city in other ways or sold as unnecessary property," Rychtecký said.

A jury selected the architectural designs the year before last. It chose from 12 applications and invited eight architectural teams to prepare a competition proposal. For the building, the town hall chose a plot of land on Stavbařů Street with an old smaller school building, where the Svítání special school used to have a branch. Now, a primary school for Ukrainian children is temporarily operating there. When the project for the elementary art school is ready, the city will demolish the old building and begin construction of a new school building there.

"The costs of the design work, which we have covered in the city budget, amount to nearly CZK 13.8 million. The construction of the new school should cost CZK 286 million, excluding VAT, according to the construction design. The school building is barrier-free," Rychtecký said.

The school is to create a meeting place for pupils, teachers, parents and those interested in art. Upstairs, a roof garden will be protected from views from the surrounding apartment buildings and will be used for teaching and social events. The atrium will become the centre of the building, and will include a main staircase and a residence staircase that can accommodate smaller performances.

"A café with the ability to host smaller musical events is connected to the foyer. All the spaces, the roof gardens and the foyer are accessible not only for the pupils but also for their escorts. The multi-purpose hall provides good conditions for listening to acoustic music, including the symphony orchestra. The individual creative disciplines are separated so that they do not interfere with each other and provide a pleasant working and study environment," said architect Tomáš Med of the Med Pavlík architekti studio.

Source: CTK