The Plato Contemporary Art Gallery in Ostrava, Czech Republic, came about as an outcome of winning the competition for the redevelopment of an old nineteenth-century slaughterhouse.

The slaughterhouse is located in the now partly demolished, once densely populated industrial area of ​​the city.

The slaughterhouse is located in the now partly demolished, once densely populated industrial area of ​​the city.

The walls of the slaughterhouse were dilapidated and patchy with random giant holes in many places. The brickwork, almost black from dirt and soot, testified to the industrial history of the town. The conservator’s guidelines included a standard restoration, cleaning the façade and filling in the holes with brick as if they had never existed.

However, we treated these defects as a value that testifies to the identity of this place, which should not be hidden, but which should be exposed, adding another layer to the history of the building.

We have preserved the character of the weathered brickwork and windows, and filled the openings with contemporary material. We adopted the principle that all the reconstructed elements would be made of concrete, while preserving the old ornamentation of the brick walls.

Furthermore, we intended to preserve the functionality of the openings as shortcuts connecting the building with the city. Thanks to various mechanisms, the concrete wall panels can rotate and open up the exhibition rooms directly to the outside. Artists have gained completely new exhibition possibilities, and art can literally go out into the space around the building, which also becomes an exhibition space. Mobility has brought about an opportunity for culture and knowledge in the broad sense to become more democratic and accessible to new audiences.

Originally the square around the building was to be concrete. Subsequent reports of climate change and ecological disaster, however, led us to react and change the design. Instead of using concrete, we introduced natural water-permeable surfaces, lots of greenery, flower meadows and natural retention. We believe that every single square meter of greenery in the city is worth fighting for.