The House of Culture in Spišská Nová Ves is a late modern building with a distinctly articulated form. It is located in the central urban zone at the western edge of the mediaeval lentil-shaped square. Its entrances and dispersal areas are oriented towards the main compositional axis of the town.
The mass of the object is dynamically modelled as a set of prismatic volumes cut in plan at a 45° angle. The shell presents a harmonious contrast between the solid walls clad in Spiš travertine and the rastered all-glass bronze-brown walls. The architectural expression is complemented by continuous windows in horizontal or vertical direction and sloping window sills on the south side serving also as sunshades. The House of Culture was designed as a complex containing a stage hall with a capacity of up to 600 seats, a cinema for 300 spectators, a library, a restaurant and club rooms. The stage hall, with a flat floor and stepped balcony, is connected to the stage by a movable portal. The auditorium space can be connected along both side walls by pull-out elements to the restaurant and club spaces. A special feature is the inner atrium, to which the club section is oriented.
The structure of the building consists of precast reinforced concrete columns and Wunsch spreading headers. The stage hall and cinema hall are supported by a steel structure. The dominant element of the interior is the suspended ceiling made of shaped slats with integrated lighting. On the front entrance wall of the stage hall there is a wooden relief by Ludvík Korkoš. The building was awarded the Dušan Jurkovič Prize in 1987.
Bibliography:
SLAMEŇ, Ivan – SOMORA, Branislav: Kultúrny dom ROH v Spišskej Novej Vsi. Projekt 30, 1988, 10, s. 32 – 38.
