Architectural competition in Pilsen will provide advice on how to utilize the former barracks

Plzeň - Plzeň will announce an architectural competition aimed at bringing proposals for the best spatial arrangement and utilization of the former Světovar barracks in the Slovany district. The premises also include listed heritage buildings. The city intends to use the space for cultural and residential purposes. The establishment of a multi-genre cultural center is one of Plzeň's projects in its effort to obtain the title of European Capital of Culture in 2015, Mayor Pavel Rödl (ODS) told reporters today. The competition announcement was approved by the councilors on Thursday.
    The premises currently belong to the city only partially, with the army set to transfer the other half. The buildings date back to before World War I and, according to heritage experts, are examples of successful and aesthetically appealing industrial architecture. Some structures are earmarked for demolition. However, four listed heritage objects of the former Světovar brewery will be preserved. The city would like to convert the former administration building and cellars into a multi-genre cultural center, while the former brewing room is expected to house a Museum of Design and Lifestyle.
    "Today we are deciding how to handle the Světovar barracks. We have a rough idea of what we would like there, and discussions are ongoing with citizens," said the mayor. In addition to a kind of incubator for alternative art and a design museum, apartments should also be created in Světovar, while part could be used by a library or archive, the mayor specified. "It’s about collecting all those ideas, determining what would fit there and what wouldn’t, and how it should be integrated into the area," he added.
    The competition itself will cost the municipality about 300,000 crowns, with an additional half a million intended for prize money for the best proposals.
    The multi-genre center is expected to be established at Světovar as one of the main projects of Plzeň's candidacy for the European Capital of Culture in 2015. The city intends to obtain part of the funds for the modifications from the European Union.