Centrum Caolinum, Nevren

The trees grow up from the ground, they are meant to be like that. Houses were built and stand thanks to a man’s effort and care. The Nevřeň Underground Mine was once created in order to bring the people benefit from the kaolin. People, old kaolin mine, houses and trees co-create the memory of this unique place. It is important to take care of the memory, because if a man loses the identity, loses oneself. The people from Nevřeň therefore built a new centre to which they can come and see the exhibition on kaolin, visit concert or masquerade ball. They built one house, but are using many others at the same time.
The construction is situated in Nevřeň, in a small village close to Pilsen (274 inhabitants), on the place of a former pub destroyed by fire and of a fire house, in the natural centre of the village without a church.
The nature creates caves; the man creates mines by his mining activity – in both cases, these are hollows under the Earth’s surface. The centre is a hollow in the middle of the village, which demonstrates the local kaolin mining history from the 19th century. A unique kaolin mine has been preserved in Nevřeň until these days. The local people want to open this underground labyrinth to broad public.

The house itself is built on a traditional country long ground plan (37x11m). The covered doorstep allows situating of the outdoor, freely accessible exhibition and it protects the visitors of the CCN against the vagaries of weather
The construction is based on the principle of featured wooden construction in the interior. The wooden glued truss is designed as a three-articulated joint based on the foundation belt. The dominant gable walls contain high chimneys. The the fire house is decorated with a statue of St Florian, for which the people clubbed together.