Original name
Městské lázně Zábrdovice [City baths at Zábrdovice]
Original use
Culture/leisure/tourism/balnearies, spa
Current use
Culture/leisure/tourism/balnearies, spa
Architects
Bohuslav Fuchs
Concrete by reinforcement
Concrete is a relatively brittle material that is strong in compression but less so in tension.
To increase its overall strength, steel rods, wires, mesh or cables may be embedded in concrete before it sets. This reinforcement, often known as rebar, resists tensile forces. By forming a strong bond, the two materials are able to resist a variety of applied forces, effectively acting as a single structural element .
Construction method
In this case, the concrete can be made by mixing the components directly on site, or it may be transported from a production plant in concrete-mixer trucks.
This method has the disadvantage of leaving the concrete exposed to the elements while it is setting. Whereas, with other methods, the environmental conditions can be controlled during setting, providing greater control over the outcome, with cast-in-place concrete a series of tests and protocols are necessary to verify its final strength.
Architectural concrete
- textured walls
- wooden formwork finish
- stamped concrete
- exposed aggregate concrete, colored concrete, etc.
Structural types
Beams are the horizontal load-bearing elements of the frame. Columns are the vertical elements of the frame and act as the building’s primary load-bearing element. They transmit the beam loads down to the foundations.
State of Conservation
Description
In the early 20th century, only one-third of the houses in the city of Brno had their own bathrooms. As the hygiene standards among the population increased, the municipal government created a network of public bath houses.
In 1929, the architect Bohuslav Fuchs was entrusted to design a large-scale bath house with an innovative program: in addition to fulfilling the function of hygiene, it would also provide recreational and sporting uses for residents to enjoy. The complex, located in an enclave with access to a natural hot springs, is divided into a summer area and a winter area, which form an architectural whole.
The winter building was designed with a clearly industrial aesthetic: its structure of reinforced concrete beams and girders is revealed on the façade, framing exposed brick panels, an innovative solution for the time. The program is characteristic of a spa and bath house: showers, saunas, Turkish baths, heated swimming pools, along with beauty parlors, barbershops and massage parlors, etc. Its immense scale – the complex covers 23,000 m2 – makes it a huge thermal apparatus, whose complex building systems are successfully integrated into the design.
The summer area, with leisure zones and outdoor swimming pools, is characterized by a large two-story building that holds more than 5,000 private booths and lockers, which are accessed through hallways and exterior paths. The roofs of the building, paved with wood, were once used as terraces for sunbathing.
The winter section of the complex has been abandoned since the 1980s, but the summer area remains fully operational following a renovation at the end of the last century.
Czech Republic
Zábrdovická 158/13
Brno-město (District), Jihomoravský (Region) 615 00 Brno
Commission
1929
Completion
1931