Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia

The endless tug-of-war for primacy between Pardubice and Hradec Králové can also be found in the history of the headquarters of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. In this case, the winner was Pardubice, where the District Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia was built up between 1978 and 1983. The novel architecture with a multifunctional hall secured Jan Třeštík victory in an architectural competition and a commission from the Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in Hradec Králové. It was co-authored by architect Vladimír Vokatý, who won the favor of the Hradec Králové cell by his design of the District Committee in Trutnov, built between 1979 and 1984.
 

However, losing does not necessarily mean a loss. Both Třeštík and Vokatý have gained valuable experience during previous projects, which they have put to good use in designing the Regional Committee. Within the entire typology of the headquarters, the Hradec Králové headquarters is completely beyond its assignment. It was not purely a new building, superstructure or reconstruction, but an extension. A simple four-storey building (a wing parallel to today’s A. Dvořáka Street) was already standing on the site, which the architects had to incorporate into the newly emerging administrative building with a large meeting hall. They kept the existing dense rhythmic network of window openings in the original building and shrouded the entire façade in a golden glass robe. The double semi-transparent façade was Třeštík’s patent. He first used this solution on the construction of the complex of the General Directorate, canteen, office and cinema in Janské Lázně (1979–1982). However, the prototype showed shortcomings, especially in terms of maintenance, where the 200mm gap was not sufficient to clean the glass. In Hradec Králové, the distance between it and the wall is therefore wider and you can walk between them. In addition to the aesthetic effect, the architects were forced to this solution by the demanding location of the building near a busy street with expected high noise and never-ending dustiness. 
 

The architects unified both buildings with ceramic tiles, which were again tailor-made by the artist Milan Kout. For Jan Třeštík, it was an essential element, as its shaping was subsequently (or retrospectively) reflected in the entire architectural concept, including the details. Small, yet expressively expressive horizontal lines made of blocks soften the massive mass of the main hall, which seemingly levitates on a strip of window openings. Architect Jan Třeštík reached the peak of his expressive functionalism here. While in Pardubice he only broke the mass, in Hradec he literally rounded the mass and sculpted it. If the architects kept a low profile when incorporating the original mass, they confidently stepped out of the street line and made a spectacular gesture when composing the new building. The inner administrative wing then builds on the Trutnov experience of architect Vokatý. 
 

Mpa