Zlín has launched a competition for the revitalization of the Great Cinema

Zlín - The city council of Zlín has approved the commencement of a competition for the revitalization of the Grand Cinema. The competition has been endorsed by the Czech Chamber of Architects, and information about the public contract has been published in the public procurement bulletin since October 1, spokesperson for the Zlín town hall Tomáš Melzer announced today in a press release to ČTK. Interested parties can apply to participate in the competition until October 29.

"The competition will take place in the form of a competitive dialogue. This is a relatively new tool that is indeed more complex and time-consuming than a classic design competition; however, its advantage is a more open process that will allow the jury to actively intervene in the shape of the proposal during the competition," said the mayor of Zlín, Jiří Korec (ANO). The competition will be international.

In the competition jury, in addition to representatives of the city, there will also be independent experts. "Belgian architect Pierre Hebbelinck, architecture theorist Professor Vladimír Šlapeta, Slovak architect Martin Jančok, Zlín architect Jitka Ressová and art historian Jana Kostelecká. At the individual meetings with the competitors, experts who will continuously guide their activities in relation to specific specializations will also be present," the spokesperson stated.

This autumn, six teams will be selected from the applicants wishing to participate in the dialogue. "The teams will be selected based on their previous experience ideally with similar projects. Subsequently, the actual dialogue with the individual teams will begin, during which the forms of individual proposals will be gradually refined. The results will be known at the beginning of May next year," the spokesperson remarked.

The costs for the competitive dialogue, including external administration and rewards for the competing teams, amount to nearly five million crowns. The costs for the renovation of the cinema are estimated at 250 million crowns.

The listed Grand Cinema has been closed since March 2016 due to structural issues. It was built in 1932 by the Baťa company according to a design attributed to the architect František L. Gahura. The original auditorium capacity reached up to 2,270 seats but has been gradually reduced to the current 1,010 seats, making it the largest cinema hall with year-round operation in the country. The building suffered several impacts during the bombing of Zlín at the end of World War II. During later renovations, the load on the supporting structure was disproportionately increased, and it was also improperly intervened upon.

The competition specifications include preserving the cinema hall and adding further functions. The creation of a cinema museum was also considered. It is also necessary to expand the facilities.