Brutalism, the Architecture of Sports Buildings and the Conservation Limits and Options
Abstract:
Brutalism emerged as an architectural style in the context of Modernism in Great Britain in the 1950s, not penetrating Soviet-era Central and Eastern Europe until the following decade. In the Czech context, it was applied in the 1960s to 1980s mainly in public buildings, especially culture centres, hotels, sports and administrative buildings, infrastructure elements, memorials and funeral halls. In the introductory part, this study discusses the genesis of Brutalism and its theoretical anchoring. In the second part, it focuses on sports buildings in Ostrava, where the principles of Brutalism can be encountered in the multipurpose hall in Havířov, the former Palace of Culture and Sport in Ostrava-Zábřeh (the ČEZ then Ostravar Arena), the swimming pool in Ostrava-Poruba and the multipurpose hall in Frýdek-Místek, which was demolished in 2013. The architectural design of the above-mentioned buildings lies in a stylistically characteristic structural and material composition and in a distinctive sculptural form, set within the urban environment in a broader urbanistic context, which was often unresolved at the time, necessitating further interventions usually differing from the original plans. This study explores the origins of these buildings, traces their structural development, assesses their current condition, and considers the possibilities and limitations for their future conservation.
Barrier (Rake) Is Not a Covered Footbridge
Abstract:
This work was written as part of research into the history of timber floating in the Novohradské Mountains (the Gratzen Mountains) on Pohoří Brook and the River Černá. One of the necessary facilities along this navigation route was the barrier on the River Černá in Blansko, used to catch floated wood. Although this structure is a cultural heritage site, it has long been neglected and its history nearly forgotten. In the Heritage Catalogue and elsewhere, it is merely listed as a covered footbridge. This paper presents its construction history based on archival sources and field documentation. In order to place the development of this specific timber-floating device in context, it was necessary to consult 100-year-old German textbooks on forestry, as the subject has not been previously researched in the Czech lands. As a result, only four other barriers could be traced in the literature, all of which were in South-West Bohemia (Lenora, Český Krumlov, Plav, and the Vchynice-Tetov Canal). However, it can be assumed that many more barriers may have survived in the Czech Republic even after the demise of the once widespread timber floating. The contribution of this work is grounded, among other things, in entirely new discoveries about the essential structural components of the barriers. The article serves not only as a challenge but also as a partial guide for those interested in exploring this overlooked topic.