Frič Brothers Elementary School: Innovative and Sustainable Educational Design in Ondřejov, Czechia

The Frič Brothers Elementary School, designed by Atelier 6, is a modern, sustainable educational facility located in Ondřejov, Czech Republic. Completed in 2024, the school serves 540 students and occupies a 3,012 m² site adjacent to a football field. Developed jointly by the municipalities of Ondřejov, Zvánovice, and Kaliště, this municipal elementary school emphasizes community integration, sustainability, and student-centered learning.

Harmonious Village Integration and Thoughtful Layout

Sited on a green, sloping meadow, the school blends seamlessly with Ondřejov’s village context of small family homes and gardens. The building is divided into three distinct volumes, preventing a monolithic appearance.

• The first volume, designed for younger pupils, features general classrooms, art and music rooms, after-school spaces, and a library.
• The second volume serves upper-grade students, incorporating six specialized classrooms, a cafeteria, administrative offices, and a food service area.
• The third volume, partly embedded into the slope, houses the sports hall.

These main structures are interconnected by a lower connecting building, which accommodates the entrance foyer, vestibule, and a covered outdoor area for informal teaching and recreation during warmer months.

Exterior Design and Site Transformation

The site underwent a complete transformation, evolving from a grazing meadow to a fully equipped school complex with Kiss & Ride parking, a bus stop, and shared parking for the school and nearby sports facilities. A generously scaled forecourt is paved with granite stones and centered around a linden tree, encircled by a round bench, creating a welcoming social space.

The façades are clad with brick slips, breaking down the scale of the buildings and creating a warm, tactile finish. The sports hall and adjacent covered area are rendered in a soft white-gray façade, while green accents on windows and fencing reference the aesthetic of the nearby Ondřejov Observatory, creating a subtle but strong visual identity.

Interior Design, Daylight, and Energy Efficiency

Interior planning focused on clarity, daylight, and functional circulation. Dedicated changing rooms are on the entrance level, with lockers along corridors on upper floors. Central corridors incorporate north-facing skylights, providing daylight, passive ventilation, and a surface for photovoltaic panels on the southern slopes.

The building is designed to passive house standards, ensuring high energy efficiency. Ground-source heat pumps draw energy from twenty 140-meter-deep boreholes, while mechanical ventilation with heat recovery ensures optimal indoor air quality. Operable windows are included throughout, allowing students and staff access to fresh air as needed.

Educational Transparency Through Exposed Systems

A key feature of the school is its transparent design, showcasing the building’s inner workings as an educational tool. Ventilation ducts, heating, water pipes, sewage lines, and electrical conduits are left exposed in corridors, demonstrating the building’s “veins, arteries, airways, and intestines” to students. Similarly, exposed reinforced concrete structures in circulation areas highlight structural design, creating a learning opportunity through architecture.

Acoustic comfort was another priority. Suspended circular panels in corridors absorb sound from both sides and evoke the night sky, while wooden wall cladding in the cafeteria enhances acoustics and adds warmth.

Visual Identity, Wayfinding, and Interior Art

HMS Design, led by Filip Heyduk, developed the school’s comprehensive visual identity and signage system. Inspired by the constellation under which the Frič brothers were born, the design principle informed all pictograms, creating a cohesive visual language.

In collaboration with artist Pavla Gregorová Šípová, interior floors were designed to evoke starry skies and human communication. Social areas like the cafeteria and school club feature comic-style speech bubbles, while the entrance foyer showcases a stylized star extending rays into corridors and classrooms. Floor colors differentiate age groups: brighter tones for younger students, muted palettes for older students and staff.

Furniture, Materials, and Sports Facilities

Winning the interior design competition allowed Atelier 6 to ensure material and color continuity. Furniture is primarily white or wood-toned, complemented by colorful accents in seating, storage units, and student spaces. Laboratories remain predominantly white for a focused environment. The sports hall features wooden trusses, acoustic wall panels, exposed concrete, and a warm gray multipurpose floor.

The project highlights the value of interdisciplinary collaboration with artists and graphic designers, resulting in an inspiring, educational, and future-ready school environment.

All photographs are works of  Peter Fabo