The functionalist hotel Avion only lacks furniture to open

Brno - In the functionalist hotel Avion in the center of Brno, workers are completing construction work on the interiors. There is practically only the furnishing of the hotel left before it can open to tourists. Hotel owner Stanislav Berousek told ČTK today that he plans to open a guided tour route and a permanent exhibition.

The complete reconstruction of the Avion hotel, which has been closed to the public since 2010, began in 2016. Although the owner wanted to rebuild the hotel according to the project of architect Eva Jiřičná, he ultimately used a minimum of her design. "The project estimated costs over 100 million crowns, which we couldn't manage. So we reverted to the original plans and designs of Bohuslav Fuchs and tried to make the interior as close as possible to the original concept," Berousek stated.

At the same time, a large part of the original elements has remained in the hotel. Whether it's the large steel windows in the façade facing the street, the railing on the terrace on the top floor, the thresholds in the rooms, or the wooden filling of the doors.

Other original elements had to be restored or replaced by the builders. "For example, the glass tiles in the ceiling of the third floor were covered with concrete. We had to replace all the glass tiles on the floors; they were largely destroyed," said construction manager Petr Strouhal.

A new feature is the wooden windows on the staircase of the hotel section, which Fuchs initially designed for the space but the investor did not use due to their expense.

The restoration of the magnesite floors was particularly complicated, with about 1,400 square meters laid during the repairs. "Practically no one does that technology here; we went to learn in Austria and had to experiment a bit," Strouhal noted.

The owner does not have an exact calculation of how much the three-year reconstruction has cost so far. He estimates it to be in the tens of millions of crowns but expects the costs will not rise to 100 million.

People who do not stay at the Avion hotel after its opening will likely be able to admire the architect's work with extremely narrow space and light. Berousek plans to open a guided tour route through two floors with a permanent exhibition and space for additional short-term exhibitions.

In addition to the tour route with a ticket office, exhibition, and possibly a small café, there will be a brasserie and reception on the ground floor of the hotel, and then 37 hotel rooms starting from the fourth floor. Most of them have their own facilities, with only five rooms having a private bathroom accessible through the corridor. "Compared to the original hotel, we have increased the number of beds by nearly 20 percent to 74 to comply with fire safety standards. We will operate the hotel and gastro operation ourselves," Berousek stated.

He would like to open the hotel by the end of the year. However, he says that this is just his intention, which may change if complications arise.

According to the plans of Brno architect Bohuslav Fuchs, the Avion hotel has been standing since 1928. It is rare for its cramped plot, which is about eight meters wide. The hotel was built on the site of a demolished classicist house with a small inner courtyard. Fuchs had to work economically when solving the layout and space. The building is protected as a cultural monument.