Cause: SQUARE OF WORK 1927-2010

Zlín's Square of Labor, the second social center of the city, arises from the need for cultural, social, and commercial facilities for a rapidly developing industrial city. The space of the square is defined by the edge of the factory area with the dominant building No. 21 and a set of public buildings arranged in a loose manner. From the transportation buildings, the busy Tomáš Baťa Boulevard intersects the space, while the western edge is lined by Březnická Street.

Space of the Square of Labor

In 1927, the Market Hall (A. Jambor Company) is built, and from 1932 to 1933, the buildings of the Department Store and the Grand Cinema are created by architect František L. Gahura and the Community House (Hotel Moskva) by architect Vladimír Karfík. The square serves as a space for gatherings and a place for factory employees to relax. Part of the area under the Grand Cinema is used as a bus transportation terminal.
During the years 1935 - 1942, a series of proposals for the solution of the square are created in the studio of František L. Gahura. The architect proposes the completion of the western front, giving the space a symmetrical form with the Community House complemented by additional buildings at its center. Another series of proposals arise from a competition announced in 1940 with the participation of prominent figures Bohuslav Fuchs, Josef Gočár, and Emanuel Hruška. Later, Jiří Voženílek comes up with his proposal for the completion of the square as part of the solution of the Regulatory Plan of Zlín from 1947. The issue of the Square of Labor is reopened in 1968 when the town of Gottwaldov announces an urban-architectural competition to solve the center. The first prize is not awarded; the second is won by the proposal of architect Jiří Gřegorčík and his collective, who won the competition for the development of the Southern Slopes a year earlier. The last in the series of competitions related to the Square of Labor is announced in 2005, covering almost the entire center, as a basis for the development of its Regulatory Plan. Two reduced first prizes are awarded to Zlín architects Zdeněk and Pavel Chládek and a Prague collective of architect Jaroslav Bedrna.
Despite the differing levels of investment and social circumstances in which the proposals were created, it is not difficult to trace a certain agreement in the approach to the solution. The vast majority of the proposals straighten Březnická Street, separating the northwestern part of the square and completing its western front. It is evident that the Square of Labor is waiting not only for a new surface but also for a comprehensive solution to all operational, spatial, and historical contexts.

The last attempt to resolve the Square of Labor comes in March of this year. It is neither an architectural competition nor a simple tender. The Municipality of Zlín addresses AI-DESIGN, architects Eva Jiřičná, to develop a study for the modification of the center of Zlín. Arguments include mention of logical continuity with the congress center and the possibility of using the remaining 150 million crowns from the construction of the congress center. This logical continuity appears entirely formal, given that the Square of Labor is separated from the congress center by more than sixty meters of the green belt of Gahura's boulevard. It is also striking that the Municipality of Zlín opts for AI-DESIGN, despite its focus on architecture, interiors, and design, and that there is not a single reference to the solution of public spaces on the websites of AI-DESIGN and EVA JIRICNA ARCHITECTS.
It is incomprehensible why the Municipality of Zlín relinquishes the opportunity to announce an urban-architectural competition and to select the best solution from a series of submitted proposals with the participation of a professional jury and city representatives. The assignment conditions themselves and the scope of the area addressed indicate a willingness to engage only in surface modifications, without the ambition to resolve the necessary operational and spatial contexts. Under these conditions, however, the invested capital becomes an obstacle to future adequate intervention.

Scope of the area addressed assigned to AI-DESIGN, March 2010

The issue of the Square of Labor indicates a persistent low level of understanding of local cultural contexts and leads to further unconsidered management of public space in the city. It represents an attempt by the client to shape public space based on personal taste, rather than seeking the ideal solution arising from expert discussion.