A Historic Czech Spa Turned Crimson Concert Hall
Dinner and a show? How about a show in a legendary historic spa? At the Imperial Spa Concert Hall in Karlovy Vary, a city in western Czechia equally renowned for its hot springs and its film festival, a storied retreat has been re-imagined as a cultural venue for the 21st century. Originally constructed in 1895 as a bathhouse, the complex was a technological marvel of its the time, welcoming over 2,000 guests per day to 100 baths served by a unique peat-distribution system (devised by Architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer) that leveraged conveyors and elevators to transport peat across multiple floors. Over the course of the 20th century, however, the building fell into disrepair and the spa eventually closed. When investors tapped Petr Hájek ARCHITEKTI to restore the building’s atrium, the Prague-based architecture firm opted for a bold yet contextual intervention.
Completed in 2024, the newly renovated main hall is anchored by the insertion of a striking red stage into what was previously a back-of-house mechanical room, which was occupied by the spa’s peat elevator. The 492-square-metre courtyard now serves a hyper-adaptable, multi-purpose function, transforming easily to facilitate concerts, theatre, dance, film screenings and even conferences. The Imperial Spa Concert Hall is now also the proud home of the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, with the concert configuration allowing for 330 seated guests
According to the head designers Petr Hájek, Nikoleta Slováková and Martin Stoss, the idea for this customizable interior came from the peat elevator of the historic spa. They wanted to add in a new state-of-the-art “machine” that would pay homage to the old processes, but also level up the atrium with an ultramodern acoustic system. Now the hall boasts a fully retractable auditorium and adjustable orchestra pit, sound dampening blackout curtains and a series of above-stage rotating triangular panels (made of 3D-milled plywood, glass wool and MDF) that can absorb or redirect sound. A modern take on the 19th century conveyor system, the space has been lovingly described as a “swiss army knife” of adaptability by its creators.
With such strong resonance, Petr Hájek ARCHITEKTI also had to ensure their team was preserving the bones of this historic building. And so, the entire concert hall stands on a structure of six steel legs (plus plywood flooring and a shell of expanded metal) to dampen vibrations from the original walls. To further avoid unnecessary demolition during the construction process, large structures had to be totally disassembled and then reassembled inside via the roof. For the most famous spa in Czechia, it all adds up to a fittingly elegant facelift.
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