Architect Ladislav Kuba on the Black Cube, Ostrava and the Life of an Architect
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ARCHITECTURE
doesn’t play a decisive role for us – that can
be studied. The principle of architecture
is singular, and we simply try to do
our work as well as we possibly can.
We proceed systematically from concept
to detail; everything must be in harmony.
Project work takes a very long time,
and what matters is a continuous process
of reduction – relentlessly trimming away
everything that deviates from the concept
and weakens the whole. New impulses,
possibilities, ideas and seductive blind
alleys keep appearing, but one must resist
them and maintain the concept.
Philosophy? It is subtly embedded
in our buildings, beneath the surface,
just like symbolism. It doesn’t manifest
itself explicitly, but it can be discovered.
Essentially, in our work the architect
searches for a flawless, perfect form – one
that may already be predetermined, that
exists, but is not yet visible, and needs to be
found. This applies to art in general, at least
that’s how I perceive it.
For example, in Ostrava you made
an unmistakable mark back in 2010
with the design and construction of the
Ostravská Brána residential building.
Could you tell our readers how you
managed to realise such a contemporary
and confident piece of architecture
in the immediate vicinity of the Church
of St. Wenceslas, which dates back
to the second half of the 13th century?
When designing any building, the starting
point is always its relationship to its
surroundings – respect, context. You
can approach this through agreement,
complementarity, blending in, or, on the
contrary, through dialogue and contrast.
That is the case with Ostravská Brána,
which stands in contrast to the Church
of St. Wenceslas in its form, mass, material
and colour, and in doing so creates
a backdrop from which the historic
church emerges – paradoxically gaining
even greater strength. The two buildings
reinforce each other through their
differences.
How do you perceive what is currently
happening in Ostrava in terms of new
construction?
When we designed the library – soon
nicknamed the “Black Cube” (I don‘t even
know who first coined the name…) – we also
drew from the context and environment
surrounding the future building. That
is why the form is simple yet dominant,
an elevated rectangular volume; why it is
slightly rotated in relation to 28. října Street;
and why it has a contrasting colour scheme.
Today, in its immediate vicinity, extensive
construction is underway – Steven Holl’s
concert hall extension is rising, as well
as David Koťek’s new parking structure.
These are all very expressive buildings that
now sit extremely close to one another.
I believe that greater spacing would have
benefited the long axis of 28. října Street
as well as Ostrava’s overall lack of urban
compactness.
I feel that Ostrava is very eager for modern
architecture – perhaps even for global, high-
profile architecture. For instance, in the
competitions for the concert hall and the
Bazaly project, Czech studios couldn’t
even apply because of the high reference
requirements. That level of ambition
is then reflected in the selection of rather
extravagant solutions.
Once Ostrava has had its fill, hopefully
things may settle down a little. But I believe
that the Black Cube, with its austerity, will
hold its own even amid future competition!
Your projects stand out for their striking
elegance, purity and clarity of design,
as well as for an unusually high level
of precision in execution. It is therefore
no surprise that you are laureates of the
highly prestigious Architect of the Year
2022 award, have received the Grand Prix
of Architects – the National Architecture
Award – nine times, and have been
nominated five times for the Mies van der
Rohe Award, the European Union Prize
for Contemporary Architecture.
These are remarkable achievements –
and let me congratulate you once again.
What would you add on this topic?
Of course, we are pleased when our
work is recognised. It is not something
to be taken for granted – not everyone
receives such acknowledgement.
Architecture is a very specific discipline,
with wonderful possibilities but also clear
limits. A successful realisation does not
depend solely on the architect, but also
on alignment with the investor – what
the building must encompass, how
it should look, what it should be made of,
but also how much it should cost and how
expensive its operation will be. Another
chapter is the actual construction: what
the contractor is capable of executing,
how they wish to adapt things to their
own capacities, whether they question
the design, and so on. All of this
the architect must withstand in order
to see the project through.
One’s own creative work certainly
plays a role, but so do perseverance
and perhaps even a certain stubbornness.
The work of an architect is far from easy.
How do you avoid burnout?
Our work is indeed demanding. Besides
the daily, ongoing project work,
we participate in competitions, which are
always stressful, and an enormous amount
of effort is often wasted – sometimes you
win, often you do not. Time is scarce,
but it’s also essential to switch off. On the
weekends I clear my head by riding horses
– it’s the perfect way to disconnect.
In summer, mainly swimming; in winter,
trips to the mountains on my snowboard.
Thank you for the interview.
The interview for POSITIV Business
& Style magazine was prepared by Tadeáš
Goryczka as part of the Cabinet
of Architecture, an independent project
for architecture, art and design.
Ostrava is eager for modern
architecture, perhaps even
for architecture
of a world-class calibre.
An architect seeks a awless,
perfect form that may already
be predetermined, that exists
and simply needs to be found.