The committee approves the study conditions for the appearance of the Brno Exhibition Centre

Brno - The international jury will approve the conditions that will guide the competition teams in preparing the conceptual urban study for the future use of the Brno exhibition center on Thursday. According to the director of the Office of the Architect of the City of Brno (KAM), Michal Sedláček, the historically protected Pavilion A could be transformed into a modern art gallery in the future, as he previously stated for Czech Television.

However, the Brno Trade Fairs, which own and operate the exhibition grounds, pointed out that Pavilion A is indispensable for the exhibition center and its commercial activities without replacement. "It is crucial to maintain the clear exhibition area at least at the current level," said Jiří Smetana, spokesperson for the Brno Trade Fairs, to ČTK.

Contestants can deal with the pavilion in three ways. "Keep its trade fair use only, find a combination with another use, or propose an entirely new non-fair function," said Zuzana Taušová from the press department of the city council to ČTK. In such a case, however, the city, as the owner of the company, would have to replace Pavilion A with a new one. A condition of the urban competition is that the clear exhibition area of the Brno exhibition center does not fall below 60,000 square meters.

The Office of the Architect of the City of Brno, as a contribution organization of the city, is the organizer of the public urban competition. Last Thursday, it also held a public debate about the competition and the future shape of the fairs. The atmosphere was quite tense, partly due to the mentioned statement regarding Pavilion A.

Brno Trade Fairs are currently guided by an updated version of the so-called Masterplan in their planning. It shows the future possible form of the exhibition center so that fairs can operate. At the same time, it defines objects that are not used for exhibitions. These include the old theater and the pavilions Brno, Morava, and Umprum, as well as the velodrome. Consideration is also being given to better linking the new parking lot with the Riviéra recreational area and with the new entrance and terminal for urban transport near the Pisárek depot. "A new pavilion could also be created by 2030," specified Smetana.

According to the Brno city council, the Masterplan is one of the bases for the conditions of the competition, but it is not binding for the participants. "The results of the competition will be used as a basis for the territorial study. Its assignment will be further discussed with the Brno Trade Fairs and approved with their participation," said Taušová from the press department of the city council.

According to the city, the competition has three goals. The first is to strengthen and improve the exhibition and congress function, the second is to find new uses for the unused parts of the grounds, and the third is to open part of the area to the public.

Next year, the exhibition grounds will celebrate 90 years of existence, during its history it has become the most significant exhibition area in Czechoslovakia and remains so to this day. The company Brno Trade Fairs, which owns it, has been 95 percent owned by the city since last year.