Pavilion A and Flora Exhibition Ground

The Olomouc Smetanovy Sady have been used for ornamental horticulture exhibitions since 1958. For the VI. National Exhibition in 1965, architects Hynek and Hradil, together with structural engineer Knajbl, designed an observation suspended walkway. It was named "tobolávka", after the surname of the then Deputy Chairman of the Local National Committee, Tobolka, who also decided on the expedited construction of the new pavilion.
Brauner's Pavilion A connects to the bridge promenade with a terrace on the first floor of the entrance section, complemented by a restaurant pavilion with a perforated shell roof above the administrative wing. The hall, measuring 59 x 33 x 9 m, designated for ornamental plant exhibitions, is a lapidary glass prism, open to the surrounding park, with its expression concentrated in the structure of the roof. Six concave laminated fields are supported by a tubular truss structure anchored in a six-pack of reinforced concrete pillars. Halfway up, a ramp encircles the hall along the inner perimeter. (However, this was not implemented according to the original design.) The inspirational sources of Brauner's building can be seen in the steel structures of Egon Eiermann, as well as in the mushroom-like columns of Pietro Luigi Nervi, but it is characterized by something that is rarely found in the architecture of the sixties – formal symbolism. The supporting pillars deliberately, and in accordance with the purpose of the building, resemble trees, specifically those of the tropical rainforest, and this is emphasized by their surface with the texture of wooden formwork. This seemingly trivial metaphor (incidentally, theoretically elaborated by the Mannerist architect Philibert de l'Orme) leads us to the ever-green reflections on the natural genesis of architectural constructions.
From period press as well as the memories of the first visitors, it seems that "Áčko" was received with enthusiasm in Olomouc, a city often reserved in its attitude towards modern architecture. Today, it is not only a poetic reminder of the sixties but also one of the symbols of the city.