Café Emil in Bratislava City Gallery

/public contract/authors: Jakub Kopec, Zuzana Včeláková/cooperation: Exteli (electrical installation); H_pro (plumbing, heating); Filip Slováček (air conditioning, cooling); Timotej Kapinay (fire consultant)/clients: Galéria mesta Bratislavy (building incl. mobile bar), Wirtshaus (café furnishings)/Main contractor: Genesis/photo: Ján Kekeli/Bratislava/2020–2022

Conversion opens the gallery building up as a barrier-free public cultural institution of the 21st century. Longitudinal connection from the street is provided by a restored historical gate leading to the cafe, washroom, and elevator. Historical layers of the building remain exposed thanks to the "doing (almost) nothing" approach and material recycling. The transverse connection between the outdoor courtyard, the main space, and the background facilities of the cafe happens through restored historical openings with contemporary infills. Openness and mobility reflect in the folds of the café floor, the bar variable segments, and the navigation vectors of the new pendent lights.