Open Budvar

The proposed welcome center location ensures a single, easily controlled access for visitors while avoiding a conflict between the truck traffic of the logistics and the cars and buses of tourists. A roundabout at the junction of Karoliny Svetle / Knezskodvorska and a mandatory right turn when exiting the parking prevents trafficjams at the traffic light to prazska street. A pedestrian and biker friendly design upgrade enhances Karoliny Svetle and Knezkodvorska, and a new pedestrian/bike connection through a renaturalised water stream on the northern side of the areal. The green volume of the welcome center can be extended to the corner of Prazska/Karoliny svetle replacing the existing administration building, while reserves for future brewery expansion are secured.

Strategically located for all visitors, the welcome center combines a conference center, shop, restaurant, bike, and car parking. It’s lively public ground floor invites pedestrians with its transparency and allows a peek to the beer garden. start and finish of the visitor’s circuit, it offers a synergy between visitor’s center, shop and restaurant.

The open park decks are covered by a green facade climbing on the stainless-steel mesh from a planter situated on the first floor and hanging down from the roof. A smart assistant system directs visitors to free parking slots.

With it’s strong colour identified with Budvar the skywalk connects the attractions like a red carpet. Series of long spanning ramps allow a barrier free access to the whole area. The steel construction ensures low maintanance longevity, and easy assembly. The versatile application of open metal mesh - as railing and flooring - simplifying water evacuation. The brewery square is a key feature giving access to the malthouse and the cellars and direct views into the brewery hall. It's parametric spider web-like construction is supported by giant concrete tree planters, that allow full scale trees to cast their shade.

The malthouse, the heart of the brewery, opens up towards the brewery square through a sunlit glasshouse with lush tropical vegetation, serving both entrance and vertical circulation. offering seating possibilities, it is open and ventilated in the summer, while heated by the adjacent brewery hall in winter.

Minimal architectural interventions preserve its character, like barrier free vertical connection and north facing skylight adding daylight into the interior.

Existing staircases next to varna and next to railway track are rebuilt to become fire egress routes.transparent partitions are used sparingly, with service rooms in adjacent spaces. The wooden structure and vaults in cellars remain intact. The entry level is a museum foyer with a nano brewery. Budvar’s history and czech beer museum is split on the first (dark exhibition space) and the second floor (light exhibition space). Visitors can brew their own beer or professionals can test new recipes in the beer lab of the malthouse cellars. a concealed door and a hidden staircase lead from the exhibition space to a secret room, reserved for employees and select visitors, with the atmosphere of a dusty pub of old times.

Highlight for tasting the freshest budvar beer, the cellars, are partially cleared of steel tanks to create a unique atmosphere, while the sorted out steel tanks are reused on site. Visitors access the cellars via a new staircase and elevator, with options for guided tours and VIP tastings in separated spaces like the new circular “tepluška”.