Architect Kaplický will be an advisor to Brno for architecture

Mayor Roman Onderka (ČSSD)

Brno - Architect Jan Kaplický may advise Brno as an external consultant on architectural matters. Today, he tentatively agreed on this with Mayor Roman Onderka. Kaplický, who is known in the Czech Republic for his design of the National Library in Prague, is reportedly also planning to propose some building for Brno. The Janáček Cultural Centre, that is, a new concert hall, or one of the buildings in the southern center are under consideration, Onderka said today to reporters.
    The city plans to develop the concert hall and the buildings in the southern center in collaboration with private investors. The mayor acknowledged that investors might prefer to work with their own architect. "But if the city has an idea, it can provide it to a private entity, and they might identify with it. That idea could very well be the architect’s idea," Onderka said about Kaplický.
    Kaplický compared Brno to Prague in an interview with reporters today. In Prague, he says, he becomes a politician when defending the National Library proposal. "Here, I felt like an architect for the first time," he said. He also mentioned that Brno is home to architectural gems, such as the Tugendhat Villa or Pavilions A and Z at the Brno Exhibition Centre, which he would like to build upon. "And then also, if perhaps one person or two in Prague felt ashamed, I think that would be important as well," he said about his visit to Brno.
    Although the specific project Kaplický could build in Brno is not known, the architect has a vision of its character. He supposedly wants to create "something green" in terms of the building's energy functionality. It is not very far, he says, from London, where he lives and works, to Brno. Both cities are connected by a regular flight route. "Two hours of flight, that's quite close in Europe," the architect said.