Plzeň post-war: a debate about the future of post-war architecture

The third part of the current lecture and discussion series prepared by the Pěstuj prostor association for architecture enthusiasts from both the general public and special interest groups will take place on Wednesday, November 30, at 18:00 in the hall of the SPŠ Dopravní (Transport Secondary School) in Plzeň on Karlovarská Street. After two "monographic" lectures, the next installment of the series, which focuses on architecture from the years 1948 to 1989 in Plzeň and beyond, will unfold as a debate about the fate of post-war architecture in our country.
At the beginning, architects Marek Tichý (TaK Architects) and Jan Schindler (Schindler Seko Architects) will present their experiences and insights from a series of adaptations of exceptional buildings. Marek Tichý, the author of award-winning reconstructions of the Volman Villa in Čelákovice and the Prague Electrical Enterprises, will focus his presentation primarily on the building of the Prague hotel complex Intercontinental, which was one of the "pilot projects" of Czechoslovak architecture at the time of its inception in the late 1960s, serving as a showcase of contemporary craftsmanship and culture. However, after fifty years, it found itself nearing the end of its lifespan, necessitating its restoration. The project at the Old Town Gate includes not only the reconstruction of the hotel but also its extension and the urban transformation of its surroundings, aiming to return the site’s residential value and public space attractiveness.
Following, Jan Schindler will contribute with his presentation, whose studio is responsible for the design of the conversion of Zenger’s transformer station in Prague into the gallery spaces of Kunsthalle Praha. The project by Jan Schindler, Ludvík Sek and Zuzana Drahotová recently received the main award of the Grand Prix Architects for 2022.
“Jan Schindler will primarily discuss the reconstruction of one of Plzeň’s landmarks – the building that once housed the Hutní projekt Plzeň from the late 1960s,” states the series' dramaturg Petr Klíma from the organizing association. At the time reconstruction began in 2002, it was nearly empty and in very poor technical and operational condition. The goal of the BCB project in Plzeň was to transform the building into technologically modern and flexible rental offices. The architects also focused on better connecting the building's ground floor to the surrounding urban environment.
The subsequent debate will involve Martin Zaiček (Slovak Chamber of Architects and Society of Jaromír Krejčár) and Karel Zoch, head of the Department of Heritage Care of the Plzeň City Hall. Together, they will discuss the possibilities for further use of post-war buildings in the present and future; how these buildings can be effectively adapted for new functions and modern needs, and how heritage care views these plans.
Admission to the event is 50 CZK. Tickets will be available on-site and in advance sales.

Ing. arch. Marek Tichý is an architect and university educator; he works at the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague. In 2002, he founded and still leads his own architectural office TaK, which has been long dedicated to the context of contemporary and historical architecture. He presents the search for an authentic architectural expression, a balance between heritage protection, and the demand for contemporary and functional buildings not only through his own works but also at profile exhibitions, lectures, and in publications.
Ing. arch. Jan Schindler collaborated with several architectural offices in Berlin after studying at the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague. Since 1995, he has been a member of the German Chamber of Architects (Architektenkammer Berlin), and three years later he also became a member of the Czech Chamber of Architects. In 1997, he co-founded the studio 4a architekti, and in 2012 he established the studio Schindler Seko architekti with his long-time colleague. He leads the architectural design studio at ARCHIP – Architectural Institute in Prague.
Mgr. art. Martin Zaiček is an architect and cultural professional. He focuses on the research and promotion of 20th-century architectural heritage. A member of DOCOMOMO International, a member of the civic association Archimera, and a member of the artistic group Opustená (re)kreácia, he advocates for the preservation of the deteriorating work of Jaromír Krejčár and his therapeutic house Machnáč from 1932 in Trenčianske Teplice. He is the author of a series of book guides, C20, on the architecture of Slovak cities and the Georgian spa town of Tskaltubo. His latest publication is a book dedicated to modern fountains in Bratislava. He works at the Office of the Slovak Chamber of Architects, where he focuses on the development of architectural policies and expanding architectural topics into the realm of public administration.
Ing. Karel Zoch is an architect and conservationist, has long served at the Department of Heritage Care of the Plzeň City Hall, serving as its head since 2019. For more than 10 years, he has been dedicated to the research, popularization, and accessibility of the Plzeň works of Adolf Loos and his collaborators. He teaches at the University of the Third Age at the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň.