Reformatted - invitation to the commented tour of FI MU
On Saturday, October 4th at 2 PM, as part of the DAY OF ARCHITECTURE, a guided tour of the renovated and reopened Building of the Faculty of Informatics, MU will take place in Brno at Botanická 68a.
What has been permanently removed from the original complex designed by architect Jan Dvořák, and what new features has the building gained through the extension by the architectural studio Pelčák and Partners? A confrontation of so-called socialist architecture with contemporary architectural creation.
In the place where the Faculty of Informatics now stands, there used to be a factory for enameled goods, which operated under the name Sfinx until the end of World War II. After the demolition of the original complex, an architecturally significant complex of research institutes (1975-88) was built on its site, which forms the core of today's university complex. The design author is the Brno architect Jan Dvořák (1925 – 1998), a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at VUT Brno. In response to the strong tradition of interwar rationalist and functionalist architecture in Brno, he emphasized plastic modeling of volumes in his designs and was not afraid to experiment with unusual shapes. In Brno, he managed to realize several interesting buildings, including the Administrative Building of Teplotechny on Annenská Street (1970-75), the Building of Snahy on Lidická Street (1971-78, mostly demolished now), Hotel Myslivna (design 1969, realization 197-87), the Research Institute of Rolling Bearings in Brno-Komárov (1969-82), and more.
While the side buildings of the complex on Botanická Street represented completely typical spatial and mass solutions common for many administrative buildings of that time, the central part's architectural processing was almost artistically conceived. From the outside, the mass of the meeting room, which penetrated above the glazed ground floor, served as a real dominant feature and created an interesting and monumental architectural figure of the entire complex. The impressiveness of this concept was enhanced by a six-meter metal relief by the Brno sculptor Sylva Lacinová (*1923). The building's interior was also complemented by various artworks, as architect Dvořák considered the organization of exhibition events during the design of the entrance space. Thus, the scientific and specialized workplace was supplemented with the function of a specific cultural center.
The building served its original purpose only until 1996, when the complex of former research institutes became the new home of the Faculty of Informatics at Masaryk University in Brno. At the beginning of 2012, radical construction modifications were undertaken, justified mainly by the energy demands of the existing structures designed by architect Jan Dvořák. The entrance block of the complex, including the mentioned artistic artifacts, had to give way to a new architectural conception proposed by the studio Pelčák and Partners Architects. The authors of the new architectural concept thus had the formerly significant entrance wing of the complex removed and built a new entrance structure in its place, which was confidently pressed against the existing side wings of the building and complemented by a newly constructed seven-story corner block.
The past and present of the Faculty of Informatics will be guided by architecture theorist Šárka Svobodová and architect Petr Pelčák. Organized by 4AM Forum for Architecture and Media in collaboration with the Faculty of Informatics at Masaryk University in Brno.
The architectural walk takes place as part of the long-term project 4AM Forum for Architecture and Media – CONSONANCE OF MODERNITY, which aims to explore the broader context of the modernist movement developing in architecture since the interwar period through research, expert lectures, discussions, exhibition projects, and workshops. Although the modernist movement is reflected in architectural theory as a significant epoch in the history of art and architecture, many modernist realizations, or buildings with demonstrable echoes of this movement, are perceived with reserve or even rejected by both professional and lay audiences in practice. In our context, this primarily concerns architecture created during the communist regime, which is summarily condemned on ideological grounds due to its time of origin. There is still little space provided for professional research, artistic-historical evaluation, and public discussion.
More information >
What has been permanently removed from the original complex designed by architect Jan Dvořák, and what new features has the building gained through the extension by the architectural studio Pelčák and Partners? A confrontation of so-called socialist architecture with contemporary architectural creation.
In the place where the Faculty of Informatics now stands, there used to be a factory for enameled goods, which operated under the name Sfinx until the end of World War II. After the demolition of the original complex, an architecturally significant complex of research institutes (1975-88) was built on its site, which forms the core of today's university complex. The design author is the Brno architect Jan Dvořák (1925 – 1998), a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at VUT Brno. In response to the strong tradition of interwar rationalist and functionalist architecture in Brno, he emphasized plastic modeling of volumes in his designs and was not afraid to experiment with unusual shapes. In Brno, he managed to realize several interesting buildings, including the Administrative Building of Teplotechny on Annenská Street (1970-75), the Building of Snahy on Lidická Street (1971-78, mostly demolished now), Hotel Myslivna (design 1969, realization 197-87), the Research Institute of Rolling Bearings in Brno-Komárov (1969-82), and more.
While the side buildings of the complex on Botanická Street represented completely typical spatial and mass solutions common for many administrative buildings of that time, the central part's architectural processing was almost artistically conceived. From the outside, the mass of the meeting room, which penetrated above the glazed ground floor, served as a real dominant feature and created an interesting and monumental architectural figure of the entire complex. The impressiveness of this concept was enhanced by a six-meter metal relief by the Brno sculptor Sylva Lacinová (*1923). The building's interior was also complemented by various artworks, as architect Dvořák considered the organization of exhibition events during the design of the entrance space. Thus, the scientific and specialized workplace was supplemented with the function of a specific cultural center.
The building served its original purpose only until 1996, when the complex of former research institutes became the new home of the Faculty of Informatics at Masaryk University in Brno. At the beginning of 2012, radical construction modifications were undertaken, justified mainly by the energy demands of the existing structures designed by architect Jan Dvořák. The entrance block of the complex, including the mentioned artistic artifacts, had to give way to a new architectural conception proposed by the studio Pelčák and Partners Architects. The authors of the new architectural concept thus had the formerly significant entrance wing of the complex removed and built a new entrance structure in its place, which was confidently pressed against the existing side wings of the building and complemented by a newly constructed seven-story corner block.
The past and present of the Faculty of Informatics will be guided by architecture theorist Šárka Svobodová and architect Petr Pelčák. Organized by 4AM Forum for Architecture and Media in collaboration with the Faculty of Informatics at Masaryk University in Brno.
The architectural walk takes place as part of the long-term project 4AM Forum for Architecture and Media – CONSONANCE OF MODERNITY, which aims to explore the broader context of the modernist movement developing in architecture since the interwar period through research, expert lectures, discussions, exhibition projects, and workshops. Although the modernist movement is reflected in architectural theory as a significant epoch in the history of art and architecture, many modernist realizations, or buildings with demonstrable echoes of this movement, are perceived with reserve or even rejected by both professional and lay audiences in practice. In our context, this primarily concerns architecture created during the communist regime, which is summarily condemned on ideological grounds due to its time of origin. There is still little space provided for professional research, artistic-historical evaluation, and public discussion.
More information >
The English translation is powered by AI tool. Switch to Czech to view the original text source.
0 comments
add comment
