Ondrej Jurčo ARCHITECTURE

PORTFOLIO
ONDREJ JURČO

C L A U S T R U M
A PROTOTYPE OF A SECULAR MONASTERY
DIPLOMA THESIS AT FACULTY OF ART
(THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY IN KOŠICE)
“For a brief moment, imagine a monastery as a mountain hut. Imagine the emotion of
having a hot soup or draft beer after a few hours of tiring climb in the wind and rain. It
is a place where, for a special reason, everybody is nice to each other. We try to find a
place for the new tourists because they had to go through the same thing we did. We
are united by the common journey and the joy of relaxation. The accommodation is
simple, but no one would change it for a 4-star hotel. It is therapeutic place for people.”
2019

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL PRICE
FOR THE BEST DIPLOMA THESIS
IN SLOVAKIA
(AWARD OF PROF. LACKO 2019)

Claustrum is a new typology, a new type of monastery that transforms its essence so
much that I decided to define it differently. A monastery is only the closest possible
reference. When we look at the origin of the word monastery, we come to the Latin term
CLAUSTRUM, which means closed space. It is precisely the name that expresses a new
typology of a new institution - the autonomy of a closed entity.
Claustrum can be built without theological content. Secular monastery. Because the
idea of Claustrum is also a political dream. I am not trying to define a new concept of an
ideal city or any utopian, unreachable vision. It is an idea of a specific architecture that
has its regularities. Optimal solution, not ideal. I perceive my project as a prototype of
a socio-cultural station attended by people seeking not only stopping but also fulfilling.
Claustrum is not an escape, but a solution. Therefore the aim is to create space for
autotherapy, which is often in the form of contemplation. This dimension of the concept
is the very core of the vision. The cultivation of silence, which leads to therapeutic
reflection in solitude, and the cultivation of a community.
Yet, claustrum has much of a similarity to a traditional Christian monastery. The aim
of claustrum is the design of a monastery, which in the first plan is free of traditional
Christian schemes and the whole theology. But not to deny Christianity, but to find its
authentic content in rebellion against traditionalism, and thus to open its arms to all
people. The monastery is not a court, but a forum for discussion. If there is Christianity
in the monastery, only in the second plan. In a form that does not elevate above
religions or atheism. Something like monks who take care of every pilgrim regardless of
the worldview and they are the ones who keep the monastery regime.

SITE PLAN

AXONOMETRY

1-ST FLOOR PLAN

SECTION A
2-ND FLOOR PLAN
ROOF

ACCOMMODATION UNIT
1-ST FLOOR PLAN
SECTION
2-ND FLOOR PLAN
DORIMOTORY - CLAUSTRUM PRIVATUS
One of the reference for Claustrum is the
psychological clinic. Space for therapy. Each
housing unit is exclusively intended for one
visitor only. Activities like sitting by the fire or
lying in a bath with the view of the stars have
potential for contemplation. Impulses of fire
and water have almost ritual character amd
for a brief moment, the visitor is taken out of
everyday life and gets space for reflection.
A person who closes into his housing unit
experiences a contrasting experience to the
dynamics of the city.
“A living space should be a sanctuary. It has to
be a place where you can reflect on your life.”
Tadeo Ando

VIEW FROM THE BATH
PORCH WITH BENCH

LIBRARY AROUND THE CAFE - CLAUSTRUM COMMUNIA
COVERED PUBLIC SPACE - CLAUSTRUM PUBLICAE

URBAN CONTEXT
Excluding traffic from the city center
should be rebuilt.
Let’s take a closer look at the surroundings
where is situated Claustrum. Project has
a mission of cultivating the city through
various ideas.
It is really inappropriate to drive or park
cars right in city centre. The city center is a
privileged place for pedestrians and cyclists.
I also discussed my intention the city of
Prešov and with their cooperation I set out
potential places of parking houses.
Claustrum complex has perfect position. It
completes one of the blocks of the center.
If the vision of would be fulfilled a series
of enclosed courtyards with a longitudinal
proportion would be created inside the block.
What if we combine all the yards of the block
into one space. It would create a shared
semi-private courtyard space, which has the
potential of the community-neighborhood
space.
Neighboring courts
Chief architect of the city Prešov provided
me the materials, which suggests in what
form the whole block of this historic part
Neighborhood will get an exclusive space.
This concept of the opening the courts will
spread through the city center to all blocks
like a virus whose main bearer is claustrum.

MODEL

PRIVATUS / PUBLICAE
EXPERIMENTAL PROJECTS
The task was to create an idea of architectural expressions
of extreme private and public space
Theoretic project is the result of workshop at the Faculty of
art in Košice “Experimental studio 2018”
Project was part of my diploma thesis “Claustrum”
2018

PUBLICAE

PUBLICAE
The best way to achieve the extreme of
public space is to express it through
a conceptual conflict - create a public
space as a barrier, not as a meeting
space. The disruption of an idea of
public space is demonstrated by
trauma.
I use St. Peter’s Square as a readymade.
It is the perfect reference
of public space in the context of
Christianity.
Simple and impenetrable circular
wall with a radius of 30 m is built to
the centre of the square. But only as
a temporary wall. The mechanism
randomly triggers the rising of the wall
from the ground, and whoever is in the
perimeter will be trapped for a while.
The cycle is random.
Conflict is not just about isolation.
There are small holes in the wall for
passers-by and so anybody can observe
involuntary prisoners of public space.
My installation is a physical barrier
symbolizing the mental barriers that
build trauma. It is a space that denies
collectivity. The extreme public space.
My goal is not to shock but to draw
attention to collectivity

PRIVATUS
If the goal is to create space for an
individual that maximizes his personal
privacy experience, then it also needs
to say that the essence of such a space
cannot be the comfort of solitude, but
on the contrary - the confrontation
with itself in solitude. Intimacy of
personality is the most private space
that exists. It’s space for secrets.
Exclusive, safe, contemplative.
Sigmund Freud created a concept of
therapy that perfectly describes that
private space. Therapist sitting on
chair, turned his back to the patient,
who is trying to verbalize his thoughts.
The therapist speaks only when
necessary and only to guide the flow of
thoughts of the patient. The principle
of autotherapy.
Installation: The Fall of Private Space
When I thought how to express this
concept in the architectural form, I
found a confessional room in churches
as perfect private space reference. I
decided to demonstrate my concept by
conflict - breaking the “confessional
secret”. Without the confessor’s
knowledge, everything on will be
recorded and reproduced live in the
surroundings. The fall of private space.

SPOVEĎ
ŽIVÝ PtRENOS ZO SPOVEDNICE
CONFESSIONAL BOX
LIVE STREAMING
CONCEPTUAL DIAGRAM
SCHÉMA

800 mm
2 000 mm
SECTION
REZ 1:100
800 mm
800 mm
FLOOR PLAN

OPEN-AIR THEATER IN PORTUGAL
INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE IDEAS COMPETITION
BALEAL, PENICHE, PORTUGAL
“Project aims to create a new cultural destination and provide a place for open-air
performances to enhance the experience within the landscape. The Site Theatre is a
place to engage with the land, the sky and the sea, where performers and audience are
both participants and observers while the landscape becomes a natural scenic venue..”
2017

II. END STAGE
BRIDGE
III. ARENA + BLACK BOX
I. THRUST THEATER
PHILOSOPHY
bridge, stairs - architecture of this path will give
that in this case would be pure arrogance and
far away from shore, or hidden between the rocks.
I believe, that architecture fulfills its purpose, if
it brings new quality. Biggest question, we asked
ourself, when we thought about assignment
was simple: How not to compete with space,
that already has its qualities, and yet bring new
quality into the very same space? How to build a
structure in a place that isn’t missing anything?
It would be great shame to comfort ourselves with
a construction of a theater on the first Island.
The rocks offers more than it would seem. If we
place the construction at the very end of a whole
archipelago, we would create a path through
whole cape. Whether it would be a footpath, a
an experience that isn’t related to the theater.
It will allow to experience the rock formation
in the way no one had ever experienced before.
Inaccessible islands can suddenly be explored.
This new quality does not have to be necessarily
related to architecture, but rather with new
experiences of a landscape. And new experience
of the landscape cannot be offered by the first
island.
God is the greatest architect and nature is
the greatest architecture. We cannot create
something bigger. Acceptance of this simple
fact will free us from the need of extravagance,
nothing less. And at the same time, it forces us to
cooperate with architecture of nature.
What if we used surroundings in different
typologies of the theater?
CONCEPT
i have summarized it in 4 basic theater forms.
Thrust, End Stage, Arena and Black Box.
They offer small and big “halls” with different
capacities and sceneries in the background.
My goal was not to create orientation points, but
rather secluded places. Slightly noticeable. Either
Architecture that hides, just to be discovered and
in the right time, to surprise. It can be rough, but
at the same time, it needs to be welcoming.
Concept of this road to a theater does not have
to start by entering the first theater. Because
the concept culminates in the biggest hall, it
can start in the smallest one - in one of the
village houses. Performances can occasionally
take place in some of the existing structures. It
leads to a higher community involvement into
the theater itselfs. At the same time it allows to
perform a play in the interior and offers small
theatrical space.

I. THRUST THEATER II. END STAGE III. ARENA + BLACK BOX

I. THRUST THEATER
2-nd plan 1-st plan Section A Section B Bridge between the islands

3-rd plan 2-nd plan 1-st plan Section A Section B
II. END STAGE

III. ARENA + BLACK BOX
4-th plan 3-rd plan
2-nd plan 1-st plan Section A

A CITY GALLERY FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
CONVERSION THE HISTORIC SLAUGHTERHOUSE, OSTRAVA
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 2017
The City of Ostrava ordered the reconstruction of the former urban slaughterhouse in a
bid to save the dilapidating monument and use it for cultural purposes. The building will
become the seat of the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art PLATO. In the premises of the
former slaughterhouse (from the end of the 19th century) there will be an exhibition space
for contemporary art.

PROPOSAL WAS RANKED IN SECOND PLACE
AT THE INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION
ZEROZERO STUDIO // 2017

MASTER PLAN

Main entrance
Alternative
entrances
Service
entrances
SLAUGHTERHOUSE
SET THE PERIMETER
DIVIDE THE PERIMETER
ENTRIES
Educational
activities
Service,
Administration
Storage
Social
activities
ACCESS TO THE HISTORIC BUILDING
DISTRIBUT THE FUNCTIONS
GALLERY VESTIBULE
EXPANSION OF ACTIVITIES

AXONMETRY

GROUND FLOOR PLAN
1-ST FLOOR PLAN
2-ND FLOOR PLAN

NORTH VIEW
SECTION 1
SECTION 3 SECTION 2

ARTCAMPUS // ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS AND DESIGN
INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION
The current main teaching building is the torso of the modernist monolith of the original architectural design
- its third block and other buildings of academic campus were never built.
Extension to an existing building contains: Accommodation for students and Catering Facility, Technological
Pavilion, Ateliers: Department of Painting + Department of Architectural Design, Aula, lecture rooms, Academic
Library, Administration
ZEROZERO STUDIO // 2018

AXONOMETRY

CORRIDOR TO THE DORMITORY

AULA

THE ART INSTALATION
ON THE TOP OF THE MODERNISTIST CHURCH
The church was built during communism with a strict condition not to
look like a church. The main architect was forbidden to build towers, bell
towers or crosses. The hidden church. By this temporary installation, a
cross was placed at the top of the church building, not with the aim to
define its territory but rather to proclaim an invitation.
COOPERATION: LUKÁŠ KATUŠČÁK // 2017

The galleries and sacred architectures are similar
in some way. Taking away Christianity from
churches, as well as expositions from galleries, the
space itself can make a similar impression.
Being involved in the project “Noc kostolov“, we
used a sacral building of Evangelical Church in
Prešov for one weekend as a gallery of a conceptual
art. „Noc kostolov“ is an international project
which we needed to redefine for our own internal
needs as a multi-genre festival of a live dialogue.
Questioning the forms, we try to introspect the
mystery of contents and ask tough questions in a
deep search for God.
The installation contains several different contexts.
The church was built during communism with
a strict condition not to look like a church. The
main architect was forbidden to build towers, bell
towers or crosses. By this temporary installation, a
cross was placed at the top of the church building,
not with the aim to define its territory but rather
to proclaim an invitation.
The second context is based on its ideological
concept. Through this year’s topic “Accessible
church” – we looked into causes and forms of
many barriers arising in the middle of meditation
on God. It would be too easy to talk just about
physical barriers not mentioning those arising in
the depth of our attitudes, relationships or even
historical memory.
Each of the installations symbolizes a barrier in
church or even outside of it. ‘‘The Cube‘‘ at the top
of the church building describes one of the oldest
barriers – human suffering. In a rational shape of
the cube, made of a light wooden construction,
there are pixels, randomly placed, shining to the
whole town. They don’t make any sense, neither
as individual pieces nor as a whole unit. Only by
looking at the cube from a certain perspective, the
pixels create a cross. Symbolism of the rational
shape of the cube as an effort to grasp human life
into which there enters absurdity of the suffering
causes chaos in an organized life. Chaos, which is
so often a barrier in our meditations on God.
In the perspective of the ultimate human suffering
– the cross, a place, where God suffers, as well –
is chaos of individual pixels suddenly organized
into a meaningful object. That’s why we called this
installation “Christ in human suffering“.

Behold the world
tainted by fences of lost faith
barbed wires of absurd human suffering
Behold a man
separated from the ontological unity
the rule of an unconscious indifferent coincidence
And from the perpendicular angles of the tombstones
unbearable call for the meaning
Where are you God?
And why did you leave us?
And then
the light
somewhere from bellow
even from the bottom of the gloominess
Only in the perspective of the mystery of love
the image of the cross is revealed from the density of chaos
The image of this foolishness
of the co-suffering God
of the paradox of God abandoned by God
Directly in the bottom center of pain and despair
we are not alone
On this bottom of separateness from the sense
and distortion of the original intent
the path of the cross is opening out of hopelessness
pre-marked by Christ’s sacrificial love
Only the suffering God can really help us
Not by the force of all his omnipotence
but by the apparent helplessness of love
descending to us in to every sin
every suffering
every separation and death
to be able to find and meet us right there in the lasting suffering
Only the suffering God can really save us
Only God
who has passed through the darkness of death gives the hope of resurrection