The Plzeň Faculty of Art has a new face according to Sutnar's work

Plzeň - The Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art in Pilsen has been adorned with panels featuring red, white, and black geometric shapes, within which the familiar name SUTNARKA is encoded among students and faculty. The facade of the building was transformed for the seventh anniversary of the faculty's opening by graphic designer, Professor Rostislav Vaněk, as stated by Šárka Stará, spokesperson for the University of West Bohemia. Previously, the facade showcased a collage of student works that was nearly 100 meters long and two stories high, which has now been moved to storage.

On Friday, October 18, seven years will have passed since the new faculty building was opened on the Borská pole campus. The red, white, and black cladding recalls the work of world-renowned designer and Pilsen native Ladislav Sutnar and corresponds with the visual style of Sutnarka.

"I was inspired by the work of Ladislav Sutnar, and while designing the building's cladding, I worked with the same geometric motifs as he did. I wanted the shapes on the facade to both reveal and conceal the name of the faculty - Sutnarka," said Vaněk, who is involved with the faculty. His intention was to make the faculty more visible and to indicate to people who see the building from a distance that it is not just another assembly hall from the nearby Borská pole industrial zone. "Especially considering that a turning point for the extended tram line is being created at Sutnarka," he added.

Vaněk also designed a directional system for the building's interior, which is yet to be installed. Instead of arrows, he worked with Sutnar-style semicircles, oriented to the right or left, which will indicate directions and mark studios and offices. "A large sign will also appear at the entrance to the building," Vaněk noted.

The Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen was established on September 1, 2013, through the transformation of the Institute of Art and Design, which was founded by the current dean, Josef Mištera, on April 1, 2004. The building, which the faculty has been using since the 2012/2013 academic year, intentionally resembles an industrial hall and serves as a sort of factory for art. According to Mištera's concept, it was designed by architect Jan Štípek and his son Jan. The elder Štípek received the Hanuš Zápal Award posthumously for his contributions to Pilsen architecture from 2010 to 2013.