The architects simplified the design of the Janáček Cultural Center

Brno - The authors of the architectural design of the concert hall for Brno, so-called Janáček Cultural Centre, have significantly simplified the project due to lack of funds. The final version includes a main hall with a capacity of 1200 to 1600 seats and an underground parking lot for 372 cars. For instance, they removed a smaller concert hall from the project. "The concert hall remains wrapped in only the essentials," said Pavel Joba from the studio M1 Architekti, which won the competition announced by the city in 2003.
    According to Joba, the project documentation is already completed, and today the architects submitted it to the city hall. "I hope that in a few days the zoning proceedings will begin in the city district of Brno-střed, which could conclude by February," Joba stated.
    After eight years of deliberation, the state, the city, and the region have agreed on the financing of the construction. The new memorandum includes an expenditure of up to 600 million crowns from the Ministry of Culture, up to 100 million crowns from the South Moravian Region, and up to 200 million crowns from Brno. Funds are also expected from the private sector. Experts estimate the total costs to be as high as 1.2 billion crowns.
    The memorandum was approved by the city councilors at Tuesday's meeting, and now the document will be discussed by the regional council. "Ultimately, Minister of Culture Václav Riedlbauch will propose to the government to release 600 million crowns gradually over three years," said Brno's Deputy Mayor Daniel Rychnovský.
    Brno Philharmonic has been calling for a hall for 100 years. The city hall has chosen the vacant lot where the bombed buildings were located on Veselá Street, where there is now a parking lot. The advantage is the proximity to Besední dům, the current headquarters of the Brno Philharmonic, where the orchestra's facilities will remain, and the large hotels International and Slavia. "I hope that problems with ownership rights, transport serviceability, and neighborly relations have already been resolved. It remains only to find the money for implementation," Rychnovský said.
    The artistic community welcomes the progress in negotiations. "The ice has begun to move. As long as we do not have a quality concert hall, we remain a provincial city," stated Alena Štěpánková-Veselá, chairwoman of the Society for the Construction of a Concert Hall and emeritus rector of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts.