OREA Congress Hotel Brno

4* OREA CONGRESS HOTEL BRNO, originally the Interhotel Voroněž, ranks among the largest conference hotels in the Czech Republic with its 368 rooms and large halls. It is a typical representative of brutalism from the 1970s, characterized by monumentality, massive proportions, exposed structural elements, and raw surfaces including unprocessed exposed concrete.

With respect to materials
The investor's desire was to preserve the "brutal" beauty of the public interiors to the highest possible extent while combining this with the greatest variability of selected spaces and accommodating the requirements for the comfort of conference activities.

In respect to this wish and brutalism in general, we chose connecting materials for the exterior and interior, such as concrete and steel complemented by polished brass, faux leather, and wood. During the reconstruction, we let their sometimes raw beauty shine through and gave it a modern touch. With an emphasis on detail, we connected the interiors of the common spaces with rounded tables and counters made precisely to the hotel’s requirements.

Let there be light
The center and heart of the entire space became an island formed by the reception that flows freely into the bar and restaurant from the entrance perspective. Monumental ceiling fixtures that we "modernized" catch the eye. The original lights were disassembled into individual spheres and reassembled into a new conical shape. The light source is now a combination of LED panels, a barisol, and a round mirror in the center.

The bar area of the hotel’s common spaces, the lobby in front of the reception, and the main corridor with elevators and the breakfast room on the second floor have thus lit up in both the literal and figurative sense.

Multipurpose facilities
Congresses cannot do without the necessary facilities in the form of a cloakroom. However, it is only important in the cooler months, which is why we designed it as a multifunctional space. This allows it to be used as a lounge or lobby in front of the conference halls. It takes little to achieve this – the cloakroom is automatically lifted to the ceiling similarly to the so-called miners' cloakrooms that inspired us. If needed, the cloakroom can be lowered again.

Facing challenges
The biggest multipurpose conference rooms and their entrance corridors were a real challenge. The current 10 halls are very varied. The largest conference hall can now accommodate up to 700, while the smaller conference room can hold 150 people.

The most monumental element of the space is the central concrete staircase, which underwent a significant transformation, including a replacement of the railing and, most importantly, greening. The staircase has once again come into the spotlight, aesthetically and practically connecting the first and second floors with the lobby in front of the conference halls and the breakfast room.

There and back again
Important and innovative features of the commercial interiors are mobile sliding and pivot panels. We designed a pivot anchoring variant with the option of rotation. This allows the space to be quickly and easily partitioned and its layout and size altered to meet the requirements of the number of people and the type of event. Independent events can now be held in various parts of the space. This applies to the hotel lobby, reception, bar, restaurant, especially the conference halls, breakfast room, and small multipurpose lounges.

The panels are made of Corian, artificial white and black stone, with a fine square grid. Their transparency beautifully maintains optical connection and airiness of the interiors. This is further emphasized and enhanced by the lighting of some of them.