Architecture - Craft and Art - But Above All, a Gift for the Soul and Spirit of Humanity
STYL ROZHOVOR
76 ǀ POSITIV 1/2024
We talk about the first time you visited the Czech
Republic and the subsequent architectural episode
connected with the Franz Kafka Center in Prague
in the Czech-English book Steven Holl: Making
Architecture. Can you describe your first visit and
impressions of Ostrava and Brno?
In my first visit to Ostrava, I had a lovely moment
speaking in the cinema auditorium in the House
of Culture. After the talk, we had a wonderful
reception in the office of Jan Zemla, Director
of the Janacek Philharmonic. Getting a bird’s eye view
of the projected outlines of the new annex was very
interesting. The following day, Mayor Tomas Macura
and his staff took me to see the inspiring reused
spaces and wonderful steel industrial constructions
in DOV. We also had many wonderful lunches and
dinners! So, my first impressions of Ostrava were very
joyful.
When we drove to Brno, I had a good impression
of the countryside between Ostrava and Brno. We
stopped at an amazing old car museum filled with
sculptural forms of Czech automobiles from
1915, 1925, and 1930s.
In Brno, we visited the house of Leos Janacek in
a beautiful garden where he lived and worked from
1910-1928. The guide even let me sit at Janacek’s
piano!
Then we visited the Villa Tugendhat, which I have
always wanted to see. Originally, it was built in
1929 by Mies van der Rohe, and recently it underwent
renovations. We received very special treatment
as they lowered and raised the huge glass plate
specifically for us. The complex interplay between
the villa’s garden and the location of the entire object,
nestled between a city street and steep slope, makes
this pioneering piece of modern architecture perhaps
even more significant than Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye
from 1931. I always had the inkling that Tugendhat
was even more important than Savoye, and my first
trip to Brno confirmed this.
Not only the people of Ostrava, but all of Czechia
are closely following the developments surrounding
the new Concert Hall in Ostrava. In general,
everyone is looking forward to your unique
project, which was unanimously recommended for
implementation by the international jury. A few days
ago, we learned that a contractor was even selected
for this project. How did you receive
this information?
We immediately saw the good news by email, and
I am eagerly looking forward to being back in Ostrava
for this groundbreaking event.
Architecture - Cra and Art -
But Above All, a
Gi for
the Soul
and Spirit of Humanity
Renowned architect Steven Holl may now be seen more oen in northern Moravia. Not only due
to the construcon of a new concert hall, where he also brings interesng ideas for its later full
ulisaon. He is also considering an exhibion of his watercolors in Příbor.
STYL ROZHOVOR
Prostory Centra Franze Kafky | The premises of the Franz Kafka Center
zdroj | source: Andrea Lhotáková
Prostory Centra Franze Kafky
The premises of the Franz Kafka Center
zdroj | source: Andrea Lhotáková