Brno will announce a two-round competition for the design of the exhibition grounds

Brno - On Friday, Brno will announce an international two-round urban design competition for the redesign of the Brno Exhibition Centre. The city council has approved it. Interested parties will be able to submit proposals until August 21, said Deputy Mayor Martin Ander (SZ) to reporters. The committee will then select the proposals that will advance to the second round. The goal of the competition is not to find a new use for the area, but to unify it and integrate it into the city's structure. The Brno Trade Fairs are 100 percent owned by the city, which purchased a majority stake from the German company Messe Düsseldorf and then acquired the remaining shares from minority owners.

Interested parties will have three months to submit their first proposal. "At the beginning of September, an international jury will meet, the proposals will be evaluated, and about eight of them will be selected to advance to the second round. We will conclude that on December 13, by which time the advancing proposals can still be adjusted and finalized. In mid-January, the jury will convene again, and in February we hope to announce the competition winner," Ander stated.

According to him, the winner will receive a prize of two million crowns, the second place will get 1.5 million crowns, and the third will earn one million crowns. A nine-member jury, including experts, has already been selected by Brno several weeks ago. It consists of five architects and urban planners, three representatives of the city, and the director of the trade fairs, Jiří Kuliš.

According to Ander, the city wants to find a unifying concept for the area, revitalize it, and integrate it into the life of the city, as it is currently detached and closed off from the city. "The result of the competition will not be a project for the reconstruction of the exhibition center but an ideational proposal for how the entire area will continue to develop. It will certainly not focus only on the area itself but also on the surroundings and attractions that are nearby. For example, the Riviera area, children's traffic playgrounds, or bike paths," added Ander.

Last year, the city owned only 34 percent of the trade fairs but bought a majority stake of 61 percent from the German owner Messe Düsseldorf for about 225 million crowns. It then acquired the remaining five percent from minority owners.