ARCHA, TRANSFORMATION OF AN INDUSTRIAL FACILITY - BRNĚNEC

Project idea

The historical weight on the Archa building in Brněnec is significant, and the residents constantly remind themselves of the story of the Löw-Beer factory and the concentration camp period. For the village and its inhabitants, the pre-war textile production factory had great socio-economic importance. The residents commemorate the factory’s importance in the theatrical performance “Our Factory” by Kristína Pavlasová, staged by the E. Vojan Theatre.

The idea of the proposal is based on the statement, “We are who we are because of our memories,” and the contrasting statement, “Forgetting is a human instinct.” The final idea is to create a space to renew memories and the story of the place. The basic thesis is the importance of remembering to shape our character while acknowledging that forgetting is a human instinct.

Project description

The concept consists of proposing a new form that architecturally contrasts with the historic building. Functionally, it aims to connect operations and unify the structure. The diploma thesis proposes the building’s function as a Holocaust and survivors’ museum, ARCHA, combined with an educational and lecture center, ARCHB (Beth Midash), and a modern art gallery, ARCHG. Additionally, the building includes amenities such as a café and administrative spaces necessary for the operation and management of the museum.

The primary conceptual tool is Emotion. This emotion accompanies the visitor throughout the exhibition space. In the historical section, there is an emotional build-up, which is then released in the elevated connecting tract with a view of the vegetation belt along the Svitava River. Additionally, by perforating the ground floor in the newly designed section, the architectural study creates a connection between the public space in front of the building and the vegetation belt behind the new structure.

The adjacent public space is designed as a recreational area capable of hosting small public events. A prominent feature in the public space is a series of corten (phosphorus steel) ribs, arranged into a block of 115 panels, 4.2 meters high, in a wedge shape. The arrangement of the panels forms an artistic memorial symbolizing the strength of Jewish prisoners from the Gross-Rosen concentration camp located here during World War II.

The proposal aims to intervene in the existing structures minimally, clearly, and legibly.

The architectural study aims to convey and narrate the story of Schindler’s Jews’ rescue in a museum-like manner. In collaboration with educational and leisure functions, it seeks to create connections between emotion, experience, and education. Additionally, it aims to provide public access to education and objective information and to create a focal point for the village of Brněnec.

Technical information

The architectural study minimizes construction interventions into the structure. The new sections are clear and distinct to differentiate the original parts from the newly designed ones. Section ARCHB is designed as a reinforced concrete monolithic frame to maximize the variability of the proposed spaces.

Documentation

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