In Ostrava, the construction of the Center for Digitalization and Science Black Cube has started for 2.6 billion CZK

Ostrava - The construction of the Black Cube - Center for Digitization, Science, and Innovation has begun in Ostrava. The project, worth 2.6 billion crowns, is expected to be completed in 2027. The building, whose preparation started 21 years ago, is intended to be a symbol of the transformation of the Moravian-Silesian region. Representatives of the region, the city, and the director of the contributing organization Black Cube, Andrej Harmečko, stated this to reporters today. The nine-story building with two underground floors is one of the largest investments in the Moravian-Silesian region and is being financed with the help of the Fair Transformation program. It will be the seat of the Moravian-Silesian Scientific Library.

"It is a symbol not only of change but of overall transformation. It is a big project. I believe that as set out in the contract, it will be completed within 26 months," said Governor Josef Bělica (ANO). According to Harmečko, the Black Cube is intended to be not just a building, but a place for meeting and education.

The new facility for the scientific library has been discussed in Ostrava for many years. The scientific library has been located in inadequate premises in the New Town Hall at Prokešovo Square since its establishment in 1951. The original project for the Black Cube was never realized due to high costs, and later the region decided to abandon it, considering the possibility of placing the new building in the Lower Vítkovice area. However, the region later updated the project documentation to meet the current requirements of the library and modern trends.

"This is not a library as people commonly imagine it today, but it is truly a center for community life and gathering. It will have a huge benefit for the development of science and culture in the city," said Mayor Jan Dohnal (Together).

He reminded that the entire area where the Black Cube is located is set to undergo transformation in the next two to three years. In the vicinity, an architecturally interesting parking garage is being constructed, opposite of which the House of Culture of the City of Ostrava is being refurbished with the addition of a new concert hall, the Milada Horáková Park is being revitalized, street adjustments for October 28 are planned, and soon the repair of the nearby Republic Square with the Frýdlantské Bridges, a significant traffic hub, will begin.

The Black Cube is intended to be a modern library and a center for digitization and education. The facility will include, for example, study rooms, laboratories, and digitization workstations equipped with the latest technology. "Our readers look forward to luxurious spaces, perfect study facilities. The collection will be under one roof; we won’t have to transport a million books from external warehouses, but they will be in one place, so you can access them within ten minutes. There will be a self-service operation, and we will have a library system that uses artificial intelligence," stated the director of the Moravian-Silesian Scientific Library, Libuše Foberová. She added that it is ultimately an advantage that the building has been awaited for 21 years, as it will be equipped with the latest technologies.

The construction will be based on the design by the studio Kuba & Pilař. It was originally scheduled to start last autumn. However, due to objections from unsuccessful bidders in the tender, it had to be reviewed by the Office for the Protection of Competition, which recently ruled that the tender was in accordance with the rules.

Today’s ceremony featured an unconventional cornerstone of the building, made from books from the collection of the Moravian-Silesian Scientific Library encased in epoxy. Instead of traditional hammers, mobile phones with a special application emitting tapping sounds were used.

"We wanted to symbolically demonstrate how the world around us is changing. While books were once the main source of information, today we have a mobile phone in our pocket that gives us access to the knowledge of millions of books and smart tools, including artificial intelligence. Just as technology has transformed the way we learn and work, the Black Cube represents a step forward - a transformation that combines tradition with new possibilities," added Harmečko.