Architecture

Schindler's ark

Alexandra Švarcová
Faculty of Architecture and Design STU in Bratislava
Slovakia

Project idea

Often, when designing objects with a strong past, we come across different approaches, such as the concept of restoration of monuments. The guiding element is the sources, the historical sources, which tell about the life of historical objects, how they were created, how they were rebuilt and how they eventually began to deteriorate. Resources are an integral part of the development of a monument restoration project, and it is up to us which of them will be indicative, which will be complementary, and which we will decide to exclude or conceive differently. With the idea of ​​restoring Schindler's Ark, I always had the idea of ​​not creating a museum with a permanent exhibition, but on the contrary, bringing life to the Ark again in the spirit of work, activity and the mark that every visitor leaves on the Ark. I think that Schindler's Ark should not be understood as a place of memories of the tragedies that took place in that period, because it was she who opened her arms in the past and created a new home, a new hope and a space for salvation for so many people. Therefore, in this project study, I tried to bring my perspective on the restoration of Schindler's Ark in the spirit of a positive perception and looking at the object as a place of new life.

Project description

The effort to restore the premises of Schindler's Ark was to create a place where every visitor would experience the Löw-Beer factory as a place, a history and a film that has become an integral part for us generation "Z", who cannot even imagine similar facts from this past. The effort is to promote activities beneficial not only for the residents of Brno, but also for the wider Moravian region and to create promotion in the heart of Europe. By walking through the ruins of the ark, we can visualize how the space of the ark could function and how the general public will react to this space. The main question is how to revive the story, people and history in the places and buildings where they actually took place?

The immediate part of Schindler's Ark is the entire production area, which extends in the northern and southern parts. The concept of the northern part is created as a reference to the Jewish community, which is created mainly by three important points: buying, selling (work), family and living, without distinction. The main movement of visitors is guided from the main station. Here we meet the first information panel that introduces us to the subject of Schindler's Ark. The whole story is conceived in the opposite way, therefore the main entrance to the area remains an entrance, but rather a historical, preserved one. This means that it will continue to symbolize that this was the place through which the Jews got into the "neutral zone". The newly built main entrance to the complex is located on the east side. The first idea of ​​how to approach the restoration was to keep the space of Schindler's Ark as it is today. With a broken facade, windows. The exposure would be the interior environment itself, which has remained untouched since the workers left. With scattered tools, barrels, wool and such a "post-apocalyptic" atmosphere. Therefore, the first object remains in this historical character. The building is complemented by two service communication cores, an exhibition hall and the huge new building of the Schindler Pavilion.

The story begins right here in Schindler's Pavilion, which represents the environment inside Schindler and a kind of battle of emotions that took place in it. It is an exposition of individual molecules, which are complemented by audiovisual art, projection or holography. Next, the visitor continues to the area of ​​the production hall, where he can participate in the production process based on workshops and courses. The aim of the workshops is to create a fabric product, which the visitor partly takes home and partly stays in the ark. The work takes place from the design itself, through the selection of materials and the preparation of materials for individual dyeing. The courses are divided into several categories, year-round, week-long, full-day or just for a quick visit.

The imprint that is preserved in the ark is located more precisely in the first dominant building from the main courtyard, which is restored as an exterior interior. The interior is also an inner street, which represents a kind of relaxation after experiencing the exhibition and the opportunity to be with yourself and accept, process all the emotions that this place planted in us and take with you not only an imprint on a piece of fabric but especially on your soul. The main distribution and guiding element are the vertical cores and the reception, which offers us the opportunity to make the right decision and approach each visitor individually in order to meet their needs. From the point of view of the material base, the original historical buildings remained unplastered in the state in which they were preserved, only preserved to prevent further destruction of the fired brick. The proposed extensions are created on the principle of a light outer shell and concrete structure.

Schindler's Ark is one of the three most recognized stories and locations of World War II. As a factory, it was also built with excellent accessibility in the heart of Europe, so the effort is to attract as many visitors as possible, who by their visit would contribute not only to the restoration but also to the exhibition of Schindler's Ark itself.

Technical information

preservation of the original condition + addition of new constructions (concrete + glass)

Documentation

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