Ship Hall, Winter Harbour

The Winter Harbour site in Bratislava, specifically the conversion of the Ship Hall located close to the Apollo Bridge. Despite being a national cultural heritage site on the significant compositional axis of Pribinova Street, the building is almost invisible to passers-by. The proposal therefore first and foremost gives the building presence, working with the city's dominant compositional axes for the benefit of the whole site.

The proposal preserves and restores the structure's constructional and heritage values — reinforced-concrete frames, a partially collapsed timber ceiling. The hall-like character of the interior remains uncluttered: it is supplemented only by sanitary facilities, storage, and a flexible cloakroom space that functions as lockable lockers during everyday use and as a staffed classic cloakroom during events. Demountable platforms serve alternately as spaces to linger and as a stage for performers.

The cultural and community centre function is complemented by two new buildings in the immediate vicinity of the hall — an administration building with a restaurant and bar at the entrance to the site, and an exhibition space with a workshop for repairing small boats. Both buildings deliberately stand taller than the Ship Hall, creating a smooth transition from the scale of the Apollo Bridge and the surrounding high-rise buildings down to the scale of the Winter Harbour's historic grounds.