Formula Townhouse

In 1997, a house with the extravagant name Formula was built in a gap on Soudní Street, in the immediate vicinity of náměstí Míru, between houses from the 1920s and 1930s. It towers over the surrounding buildings by almost two floors – in the 1990s, the department of the chief architect tried to support the development of the entire town hall block, of which the house is a part. Architect Jiří Gebrian is the author of Formula, and his work clearly reflects a long-term intimate knowledge of the local context and good insight into foreign developments. With its structure and height, Formula refers to the commercial and residential buildings of František Lýdie Gahura (e.g. apartment building of František Jelínek, 1928−1929) and Miroslav Lorenc (houses on Rašínova Street). As with these buildings, Jiří Gebrian had to cope with a relatively narrow plot of land, 11 metres wide and 18.5 metres deep. 

The architect chooses the main expressive façade of the five-storey building to face Soudní Street, where the asymmetry of the supporting skeleton structure shows on the outside. A rounded bay window spans three floors. The individual floors are divided by strip windows, and the southern edge of the façade features double French windows with sloping railings. The last floor ends with a large glazed dormer with a terrace and a railing.

 

The dynamic feel of the house, which is immediately adjacent to the castle park, is emphasised by the windows filled with glass with a reflective layer, as well as the colour scheme - the green on the window frames contrasts with the light plaster of the bay window; the rest of the façade is burgundy. Slanting handles are difficult to miss on the entrance door, and cladding of ceramic tiles on the façade of the ground floor, as well as railings on the French doors. Also, interesting colour schemes of the front façade have been preserved in the plans. 

 

According to the first plans, a capacity garage was to be located on the ground floor, which was a response to the request to provide private parking directly on the owner's plot. In the end, this condition was abandoned and the hall of the betting office was located on the ground floor toward the street. The first above-ground floor was occupied by a games room for the public, while the other floors were occupied by offices and their facilities. The individual floors are connected by a single-arm staircase, which is complemented by a lift.

 

The area in the immediate vicinity of the Formula house, around Soudní Street and Bartošova Street perpendicular to it underwent several changes during the 1990s. The former Malota's cafe became a Modus department store. The buildings on the edge of the castle grounds were demolished. Instead, a corner building of the Investment bank was built there. 

 

The representative small block orientated towards the gardens and two surrounding streets was intended to offer commercial spaces and underground garages, but the original plan was abandoned and today there is an empty lot lined with unsightly billboards. The incompleteness of the area adjacent to the castle park remains until today. The Formula House, however, still retains its original form and details. Its facilities are used by various business operations and offices. The building shows a tendency to enter the urban space with a visually distinctive design. This tendency toward striking individual form is typical for the 1990s (in Zlín).

 

 

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