Reconstruction of the Moravian Gallery in Brno

The museum building, completed in 1883, was shortly expanded after its completion. This approximately doubling of the original volume is difficult to detect on the façades; however, it is immediately clear in the interior, in the character of the main central hall, whose rich decoration became difficult to read without daylight, which was lost due to the extension.
The reconstruction brings light back into this space with a newly opened skylight passing through the entire building and enclosed with a glass roof. This creates a situation that was characteristic of the original concept. For operational reasons, a new staircase was symmetrically inserted on one side relative to the main axis, while an elevator was added on the other side.
As a result of cutting through the building along its entire length, it was necessary to connect both parts with a pair of footbridges on all floors.
Over the years of operation, the building has practically turned into one large depository. The reconstruction freed it up for exhibition purposes. A new depository has been built underground, beneath the atrium.
From a formal point of view, we do not see a problem in the contact of the original style with contemporary constructions. Original fragments and shapes are restored, new elements carry the character of their time. Visitors are not deceived by false replicas and copies.
The fundamental idea of the reconstruction should be readable and understandable. It was challenging to maintain the quantity of elements of the extensive building within the boundaries we set. We strived for each detail to have its value, while also realizing that together they form a network of mutual relationships that can be the basis for the uniqueness of the whole. A uniqueness that lies in an apparent simplicity that is, however, not simple.
As part of the interior project, we prepared an ideational design for a permanent exhibition in seven halls on the second floor, accompanied by reflections on its impact in broader museological contexts. The design remained at the level of studies and models; before its completion, the investor decided to commission this work to other authors. The newly emerging exhibition has nothing in common with the original concept and, in some respects, goes against the spirit of the building itself.