INVESTICE governor of the Moravian-Silesian region, Ivo Vondrák, adding that the outside of the building should keep the same appearance that Kuba & Pilař designed twelve years ago. “However, there will be significant changes to the interior. The design needs to be reworked to meet the current requirements of an educational institution of this importance in the digital age,” continued Vondrák. New Smart Library Vice Governor for Culture Lukáš Curylo believes that the Moravian-Silesian Scientific Library has a great potential to grow but needs a better location and space. “Our vision is to build a new smart library and endow it with life. The Moravian-Silesian Library in Ostrava will become a modern information, communication, and technological hub. The library will offer both off-line and on-line media and be a node in knowledge networks, and serve as a social point for meetings and communication as well,” he said. Vice governor pointed out that despite its current improvised conditions, the library already creates new educational programmes and teaches information and digital literacy. Librarians also act as information coaches. “The library’s options and services to citizens will develop and expand on the new premises,” Curylo added. The construction is to begin in 2020. “It will take a while for the architects to update their project. The original project documentation of the ‘Black Cube’ does not meet the requirements for a building permit to be issued, so we need to add some time to arrange for all compulsory particulars,” Curylo concluded. Director of the Moravian-Silesian Scientific Library Libuše Foberová is confident that after sixty-seven years at the New Townhall in Ostrava, readers will appreciate the comfortable environment where everything — 1.2 million volumes — is available and handy.

We asked designers about the present status of the project; architect Ladislav Kuba answered our questions on behalf of Kuba & Pilař Architects Ltd. The original project dates back to 2006. How difficult is it to remake and update it to comply with current requirements? It is difficult, of course; we have to redesign all the technologies inside the building and because of new EU standards we also have to recalculate the static analysis of the construction. After you come to an agreement concerning necessary changes, will your priorities include adapting the project according to the present legislation, or is it a larger task in light of feasibility and other demands of the contracting authorities? Legislation has changed a lot, that is why we need to actually remake the entire project of the MoravianSilesian Scientific Library in all aspects. Contracting authorities have changed the required form and capacity of the car park because we cannot rely on the Integrated Car Park Block which was expected to house cars of visitors to the library, the Cultural Centre of Ostrava and neighbouring office blocks. The construction plans of the library have been updated so as to fit the overall parameters of the construction, yet we have to work out changes in layout. The Moravian-Silesian Region is open to novelties, boasting of the title “Smart Region”. Will we find some gadgets that will illustrate this trend? Yes, you will. Investors demand that the project respond to technological developments and make use of available systems of smart management and administration of the building. Even though cutting–edge management instruments were incorporated in the original design, there have been so many developments in recent years that we want to embody them in the update of our project. Akad. arch. Ladislav Kuba Kuba & Pilař architekti s.r.o.

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POSITIV 1/2018