The disrupted statics of the Scala cinema building in Brno will be ensured by the city next year

Brno - The city will repair the compromised statics of the building between Moravské and Jakubské squares in Brno, which housed the University Cinema Scala and Bolka Polívka Theatre, next year. The contractor for the project documentation for static stabilization recently received a favorable opinion from the fire department, so it is now possible to prepare an application for a building permit. This was announced today by the spokesperson for the city council, Filip Poňuchálek. The shift was pointed out by the iROZHLAS.cz website.

A report confirmed two years ago that the reinforced concrete structure is inadequate and does not meet the standards to serve as a load-bearing structure. According to previous estimates from experts, securing the statics will cost between 30 and 40 million crowns. To allow the building to serve cultural activities again, a reconstruction costing hundreds of millions of crowns is necessary.

At the beginning of the year, the council selected a company to work on the project documentation for the necessary stabilization of the building. Thanks to the favorable opinion from the fire department, the city can prepare the application for the building permit. "It will relate to the first phase of repairs, namely the necessary static stabilization of the building. The city will be responsible for it. Work can start after the permit is obtained and a contractor is selected. We expect it to happen during the next year," said Poňuchálek. The cost will only be clear after the documentation is completed, in about a month or two.

Previously, the city offered Masaryk University to buy the building for a symbolic crown and then adapt it in its own management. University representatives were deterred from the purchase by the cost of the necessary reconstruction, which amounts to hundreds of millions of crowns. Therefore, the school has requested the city management to investigate the possibility of splitting the repair into multiple phases. "City representatives are in contact with Masaryk University. Discussions will take place regarding what will happen after securing the building," added Poňuchálek.

Cinema Scala and Bolka Polívka Theatre have been closed since the summer of 2023 based on the statician's statement. The cinema is operating on an emergency basis and is screening in the lower foyer of the building. The theatre is functioning in the Břetislav Bakala Hall on Žerotínovo náměstí, which the city has adapted for it.