Eva Jiřičná designs unique wavy bubble ceiling for new hall in Pardubice chateau

The Renaissance chateau in the east Bohemian town of Pardubice will have a new representative hall with a unique wavy bubble ceiling designed by architect Eva Jiřičná. It consists of 1,100 bubble-shaped pieces made of plaster that will ensure ideal acoustic conditions.

The first bubbles made of plaster are currently being installed on the ceiling of the future representative hall, situated in the northern wing of the Pardubice chateau.

Marian Lacek from Studio Krygi, the company that produced the bubble-shaped casts, says he has never worked on anything like this before.

Visualisation of the new representative hall at Pardubice chateau|Photo: Pardubický kraj

“Even my colleagues in the field have never heard of anything similar. The shape is incredibly interesting. It’s basically a kind of shadow play that will create an unusual impression,” he says.

Each individual cast, which weighs around 12 kilos, has to be hoisted up by a pulley and attached to the wavy reinforced-concrete ceiling.

“Since our casts have pre-made mounting holes, we thread a cable through the hole, create a hanging loop for a carabiner, and pull it up with a rope,” Lacek explains.

Assembling a single ‘bubble’ requires three people, and every screw must be tightened carefully and precisely. Each shell has its exact place and all 1,100 pieces must fit together to the millimetre, explains Zbyněk Brabec, construction supervisor for the East Bohemian Museum.

Pardubice chateau|Photo: Tereza Brázdová, Czech Radio

“It’s like a puzzle. There’s even a plan that looks very much like a jigsaw puzzle picture. Every row of templates is unique and must be handled accordingly. It’s mainly about geometric precision. If anything were off by a centimetre or even a millimetre, it would be a big problem.”

The shells will be installed not only on the ceiling but also on the back wall. Another new element will be a glass spiral staircase that will connect the event hall with the second floor, which was also designed by Jiřičná.

“There’s steel, but just a little, so I think it doesn’t disturb the beauty of everything preserved from the original chateau,” Jiřičná explains.

Eva Jiřičná|Photo: Barbora Linková, Czech Radio

The glass structure will be connected by more than ten thousand polished stainless-steel elements, which will secure the staircase and shape its final appearance. Jiřičná, a Czech-born architect, has designed many glass staircases in different forms and sizes over the course of her career.

Once completed, the hall will have a capacity of over 200 people. It will include a foyer, catering facilities, changing rooms and toilets. If everything goes according to plan, it could open to the public at the end of next year.