Summer School of Architecture 2014: Kopřivnice Brownfield

Severomoravská Kopřivnice is primarily known in the broader public consciousness as the city of Tatra cars. The famous car manufacturer has undergone a significant decline in production over the last quarter-century, and although it still operates and delivers heavy trucks worldwide, its factory area is partially unused and unmaintained. One of these problematic areas is the buffer zone between the factory itself and the city. It is a neglected place that, however, hides tremendous potential for the future. Partially functioning and partially dilapidated factory halls and other industrial infrastructure are in immediate proximity to the city center. There is also an operational railway line with a main station. Therefore, this Kopřivnice brownfield was chosen as the conceptual theme for the third year of the summer school of architecture building on the success of the Beskydské vize 2012 and Vize pro Plasy 2013 summer schools that took place within the Architecture outside the Center project.

Twenty students and graduates from domestic architecture faculties will be addressing both the overall concept of this area and specific industrial halls and their use for cultural purposes (for example, a car museum) from September 5 to 13. They will be working in groups led by architects Karel Janča, Pavel Nasadil, Svatopluk Sládeček, Zdeňek Trefil, and Radim Václavík. These are creators with experience in the conversion of various objects and locations, as well as instructors from previous summer schools of architecture. The professional guarantors of this year's summer school are the Kopřivnice architect Kamil Mrva and journalist Petr Volf. They organize this event in cooperation with the Society for Legal and Economic Education, the Faculty of Art and Architecture of the Technical University in Liberec, and with the support of the city of Kopřivnice and its architecture and urban planning commission, which is also addressing the future use of this location.

For more information about the summer school and registration options, visit www.ex-centric.eu. Applications can be submitted until June 30, 2014.