The Institute of Art and Design of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen wants the building and a change to a faculty

Plzeň - The Institute of Art and Design (ÚUD) of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň wants to start construction of its new building in the university complex in Bory next year for 250 million crowns. It is currently waiting for a building permit. Once the original variably divisible hall measuring 98 by 40 meters is completed, the institution will attempt to transform into a faculty, the eighth unit of the University of West Bohemia. The new infrastructure will enable a more dynamic development, and the institute, with 250 students, could double its capacity in the fields of fine arts and design, said Lenka Bryndová from ÚUD, which has been operating independently since April 2004.
    The eleven-meter building is designed for the open space in the north-western part of the university campus. "It will consist of a three-story section with classrooms, offices, and facilities for teachers. Adjacent to it will be a large divisible hall," Bryndová stated. The hall will be divided by freely movable partitions depending on how much space is needed. The project also includes a small theater hall with a retractable wall that allows transforming the space into a natural amphitheater. The adjoining garden will provide facilities, for example, for sculptors.
    According to the University of West Bohemia's bursar Antonín Bulín, a selection procedure for the contractor is currently being prepared. "Funds for 2008 are not guaranteed yet; preliminary commitments from the ministry are for 2009," Bulín mentioned. Construction could begin as early as next year. "We will either award the contract with an extended payment deadline that falls into 2009, or we will postpone the selection by six months," he stated.
    ÚUD, which currently shares a building with the Faculty of Applied Sciences, offers programs in fine arts and design with a total of five fields. It is requesting accreditation for additional fields in the area of design and scenic creation. About 500 students apply to the school each year, around 100 are admitted, among them one to two students from abroad, mainly from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. "We have managed to attract teachers of notable names, but we also want to utilize and are utilizing the potential of experts from the region," Bryndová added. The institute collaborates with various faculties of the University of West Bohemia and other universities in the republic.