Ateliér knesl + kynčl in GJF created a space between the city and the house

KNESL + KYNČL ARCHITECTS 2001 - 2012
BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE HOUSE
February 2 - March 3, 2013

JAROSLAV FRAGNER GALLERY
Betlémské náměstí 5a, Prague 1
Open daily except Monday 11 AM - 7 PM



At the beginning, there was the house. Thus, biblically, began the trail of the then-nascent Brno studio Knesl + Kynčl architects in the town of Kuřim ten years ago. This was followed by modifications of the squares, other family houses, production spaces, a traffic general plan, and finally, a territorial plan. The city found its sympathetic architects – and not only in Kuřim. Visitors to the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery in Prague can discover the scope, overlaps, and results of the work of Knesl + Kynčl architects until March 3. However, there is no "concentrated Kuřim" created in this space: Knesl + Kynčl architects have signed off on dozens of realized and conceptual proposals throughout the Czech Republic in their twelve years of existence. Among the most current commissions is, for example, a new territorial plan for Milovice, which is struggling with many problems and the consequences of a long presence of Soviet troops, or a wellness complex for a Czech investor in Croatia.

There are really not many studios in the local market that are equally focused on designing houses or objects for the industrial sector and urban planning. Architects usually focus on one or the other. According to Jakub Kynčl, one of the founding and leading members of the studio, the interest in the place where a house is to be built and what houses are to be in the addressed locality is logical and principled: “A house is not a sculpture, it is not there just for itself; it is always part of the city or landscape.”

The ongoing exhibition at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery presents eight projects by the Knesl + Kynčl architects, most of which were baptized in competitions. The selection did not consider ostentation or “avant-garde potential” of the creations; it rather convincingly documents these Brno authors' ability to approach each commission responsibly and in broader contexts – whether it is a graphic solution for an interior, a production hall, a simple house, an ecological center, or a territorial plan for a heavily loaded city like Milovice.

“We organized the exhibition on the occasion of twelve years of existence of Knesl + Kynčl architects, which is remarkably balanced, unpretentious, and very above standard in the domestic environment. We were struck by the fact that in every output of this studio, we see diligence, thoughtfulness, understandability, very strong empathy with clients, but above all, with the place of origin. Messrs. Knesl, Kynčl, and their team demonstrate how Renaissance the profession of architect is – from historian, philosopher, psychologist, to craftsman,” says Dan Merta, director of the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery.

Visitors to the exhibition will encounter the name Oriol Bohigas in several texts – the renowned Spanish urban planner who, among other things, shaped the developing Barcelona and Bilbao in the 1980s. He made his mark on the history of urbanism by introducing the term "urban project" instead of a territorial or urban plan.

The urban project, unlike a territorial plan that primarily creates rules for construction, is a specific project that contains several layers. It addresses a certain social problem (e.g., a lack of facilities or public space), creates an urban structure (establishes a new or redefines an existing one), and thus becomes an accelerator of development in that area.

“Our ideal commission is an urban project, in the sense of Bohigas – a building where the house intertwines with the city and public meets private,” says Jakub Kynčl. During its relatively short existence, the Knesl + Kynčl architects team has participated in several, more precisely several dozens of similar urban projects. Many of them are situated in Moravia and had a similar scenario: at the beginning was the house … at the end, a territorial plan for the entire area.

The Jaroslav Fragner Gallery details eight projects – eight designs, each illustrating its own axis of thinking about architecture as Knesl + Kynčl architects do. The northern slope of Brno's Špilberk illustrates a solution for a public space, Prague’s Nebušice converts a village into an urban district with appropriate functions and regulations, while in the mentioned Milovice, there is a territorial plan which is also a strategic development plan for this “new city”...

Many of the mentioned principles, including readability and understandable presentation, intertwine in the design of the City Office and hall in Jeseník. Although the Brno architectural studio won 1st prize in this public competition and even became a clear winner in public voting, today the city is preparing to build an aquapark instead of the town hall and cultural hall…

Despite some bitter endings of architectural and urban design competitions, Knesl + Kynčl architects can boast a number of very successful realizations. And these lead to more commissions in the given locations. “I am convinced that such work contributes more to contemporary architecture than many media-hyped spectacles. This is because the user, visitor, and accidental observer can easily become part of the story of the house, city, or landscape. They are not exposed to the much more widespread ills: complicated metaphors, subversion, arrogance, mentoring... In the designs of Knesl and Kynčl, it is enough to let themselves be naturally led and inspired by the laws of space and landscape,” adds Dan Merta.