Budvar wants to modernize the visitor center, looking for a team of architects

České Budějovice – The Budějovický Budvar Brewery wants to modernize and expand its visitor center. It has announced an architectural competition workshop for 5-7 participants selected based on submitted applications. Part of the area aims to become a center for national brewing. A visitor center called Sladovna, a trail above the brewery, an observation point, a parking garage, and a refreshment building will be created.

"It will be a significant project. We want to make substantial changes to the visitor center, modernizing it with the vision of increasing annual visitors from today’s 60,000 to 200,000," said Budvar's director Petr Dvořák to ČTK last autumn. The brewery aims to create a publicly beneficial space while also maintaining the commercial operation of the visitor center and the effective production of beer.

The purpose of the architectural competition workshop is to obtain a quality architectural-urban plan for the development of the area. The plan will serve as a basis for the gradual transformation of a purely technological operation into a center of national brewing. Budvar is looking for a high-quality design and a team of architects to collaborate with in the long term, according to the press release.

Applications for the competition workshop can be submitted until January 29. Each selected participant will receive a stipend of 500,000 CZK for participating in the workshop.

"The proposed solutions should mainly focus on modifying several existing structures and constructing new ones," the architects stated. The plan includes building a trail, a so-called skywalk with greenery including a roof over the brewery garden, an observation point, and a parking garage, with greenery on the roofs of the bottling plant as well as on the facade.

Last year, Budvar is expecting record revenues, exceeding three billion CZK, Dvořák previously told ČTK. In 2022, the brewery had revenues from the sale of products and services of 3.03 billion CZK and a profit after tax of 200.8 million CZK. This information comes from the annual report. The output two years ago was 1.788 million hectoliters, with the brewery exporting 1.27 million hectoliters, accounting for 71.5 percent of production. It exports to more than 70 countries. Budvar has approximately 670 employees.