The PLATO Gallery of Contemporary Art is located in Ostrava. The project for its reconstruction was prepared by the KWK Promes studio from Katowice, led by architect Robert Konieczny.The metamorphosis was so successful that it has just won the most important architectural award in the Czech Republic
The competition for the design of the PLATO Gallery of Contemporary Art was announced in 2017. It was international, which the architects from the Katowice-based studio took advantage of. The redevelopment of the complex began in 2020
The PLATO Contemporary Art Gallery by KWK Promes by Robert Konieczny was created as a result of the redevelopment of a former 19th-century slaughterhouse. The Polish architects skilfully combined old architecture with modern solutions. One example is the huge gaps in the facades, which the architects filled with rotating walls. In this way, they have increased the exhibition possibilities used by artists and curators
Thanks to the opening walls, culture in the broadest sense can become more accessible and democratic. They were made of contemporary material, which contrasts with the smog-darkened façade that bears witness to the city’s industrial history. The architects did not want to hide this difficult history of the building, but rather to expose it and add a new contemporary layer to it
For its design, KWK Promes won the Grand Prix Architektů – Národní ceny za architekturu 2023 in Prague in the category of Reconstructions. This is one of the largest competitions held in the Czech Republic. This year, as many as 275 works were submitted, of which 50 made it to the finals. The international jury, headed by Amanda Levete from the UK, visited all the sites over the course of three days and later heard presentations from the finalists at the National Gallery in Prague. As the jury said, this year the level of work was very high and reconstructions dominated (18 projects in this category), which is a sign of the times we live in
The full international jury: Amanda Levete (Studio AL_A), Balázs Bognár (Kengo Kuma & Associates), Irakli Eristavi (zerozero), Thorbjörn Andersson (Thorbjörn Andersson Landscape Architect – Sweco Architects), Petr Štefek (Petr Štefek Architect)
The jury also awarded buildings in the categories: New Construction, Family House, Interior, Landscape Architecture and Garden Design, Urban Design, Architectural Design, Small Architecture and Work of Art in Architecture and awarded the Grand Prix mjölk architekti
We recommend visiting the PLATO Gallery in person, it is one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions. What else is there to see in Ostrava? You can find our short guide to the city in the article
POLISH-BOHEMIAN BORDERLAND. OSTRAVA AND ITS SURROUNDINGS ARE NOT ONLY FAMOUS FOR ITS INDUSTRIAL PAST
source: KWK Promes
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