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2 – 4 JUNE 2025 BRNO

MAIN TOPICS & WORKING GROUPS

1) Restoration of afterwar architecture

Working group guarantor:

Methodological Centre of Modern Architecture in Brno

Contact person:

Mr Petr Svoboda, svoboda.petr@npu.cz

Abstract:

Interwar architecture is one of the newest components of the heritage stock and is currently highly popular with the public. However, the restoration and maintenance of these buildings has a number of spedific features compared to older heritage buildings, such as reinforced concrete structures, flat roofs and "hard" plasters. "Haus-museums" are another special phenomenon, particularly popular in the Czech Republic today. In Brno itself, shortly after the opening of Villa Tugendhat, four new houses have been opened to the public and the restoration of others is planned.

The workshop will deal with the following topics:

-           Restoration of interwar architecture (specifics and methodological problems)

-           The phenomenon of Haus-museums – conversion of family houses into museums and their presentation to the public

-           Networking (e.g. Iconic Houses, EHL, national/municipal authorities’ partnerships)

Target groups:

heritage professionals, municipal representatives, property/heritage site managers 

 

2) (Brno) Architectural Manual - online guide to modern architecture

Working group guarantor:

House of Arts of the City of Brno

Contact person:

Ms Lucie Valdhansová, Ms Veronika Jičínská, bam@dum-umeni.cz

Abstract:

The aim of the workshop is to introduce a popular educational project that has been running for 15 years, which is a specific tourist guide and a unique tool for getting to know the city. The online architecture database is designed to allow selected objects to be easily linked to walking routes that can be downloaded to a smartphone and used as a free high-quality guide to the city, complete with an audio guide. It has become a preview for the now nine functional architectural manuals, with several more in the pipeline in the Czech Republic, and an inspiration for similar architectural databases in Uzhhorod and Kharkiv.

Thanks to a new tool in the form of an overarching website with advanced filtering and information retrieval capabilities, the existing databases can be combined to create a European encyclopaedia of modern architecture.

During the workshop, we will present the possibilities of popularizing architectural heritage in the form of digital databases – the offer to use an existing web database to create your own "architectural manual", the methodology we have developed for processing popular educational content and the conditions for access to the family of architectural manuals and the forthcoming universal European database.

Target groups:

historians of architecture, architects, popularizers of architecture, tourism professionals and preservationists

 

3) Exhibition Centre - strategic cooperation and creative collaboration between the venue operator and the city

Working group guarantor:

Brno Trade Fairs and Exhibitions

Contact person:

Ms Lenka Štěpánková, lstepankova@bvv.cz

Abstract:

The Brno Exhibition Centre is a unique place where the innovations in technology or city development are presented within the pavilions that are the finest examples of 20th century architectural production in Czechoslovakia. The BVV Trade Fairs Brno company as an event organizer and venue operator collaborates with a wide range of local cultural and creative institutions as well as with public administration on promoting the exhibition centre and its architectural heritage, which is perceived as an important part of the venue´s identity and is in itself the subject of some of the creative and cultural activities. The latest result of such city-wide cooperation is the establishment of a living laboratory at the exhibition ground. The BVV Living Lab should become not only a permanent Urban Sandbox for technologies for smart cities or future mobility, but also a centre of community of city innovators and their activities.  

Target groups:

innovation ecosystem stakeholders; project managers searching for partners in the fields of city innovations, European creative networks, living laboratories, destination management and event management, heritage renovation; representatives of the cities working in strategic development or urban planning; universities