Architects will prepare studies for addressing the condition of the ceramic school in Vary

Karlovy Vary - The Karlovy Vary Region has selected three architectural firms to develop a study for addressing the emergency condition of the historic building of the secondary school of applied arts in Karlovy Vary. The studies, which are to be completed by March next year, will show whether to reconstruct the school or proceed with demolition and the construction of a new one, said the regional councilor for education Jaroslav Bradáč (independent) to ČTK.

"We have created the assignment for the architectural study with a building program, in the summer a call for proposals was issued, we approached 30 architectural firms that have experience with similar buildings. We received ten offers for the study preparation and from those, the working group selected three firms that will develop the study," said Jana Kaválková from the regional office. She added that the region wants to present the studies to the public as well.

Bradáč (independent) did not rule out demolition of the building and construction of a new one. "In my opinion, if a new art school were built in Karlovy Vary for the next hundred years and it looked good and functioned well, then why not. I have seen historical photographs, and it only confirms how they built it back then - another floor stands on faulty concrete," Bradáč said.

The costs for the reconstruction of the school in both variants are estimated to be between 400 and 600 million crowns, with precise figures, according to Bradáč, becoming clear once a specific design is selected. Following that, the project preparation for the construction should be commissioned to shorten the provisional state as much as possible. The ceramics school has been operating under provisional conditions for two years, and its capacity and daily activities are significantly limited.

The situation of the school of applied arts has been addressed by the region since 2017 when it became clear that the statics of part of the building were significantly compromised. Initially, the region proposed to demolish the building, and the Ministry of Culture, at its request, also revoked the heritage protection of the object from the 1920s due to its extremely poor condition. However, public protests sparked a broader discussion. The region then considered several options, including building a new school at another location. Since May 2017, classes have been held in a temporary setup in the remaining parts of the school.