The bus station in Brno at Zvonařka will undergo modernization

Brno - The Brno bus station at Zvonařka will undergo significant modernization by the end of 2019. It opened in the second half of the 1970s. The goal of the modifications is to transform this rather unwelcoming place into a station that meets current travel demands. A new check-in hall will be created opposite Vaňkovka on Opuštěná Street, and the entire space will receive new lighting, as the large area currently feels quite gloomy even on sunny days, said architect Ondřej Chybík from the architectural studio Chybik+Kristof Architects at a press conference.

The owner of the station is the company ČSAD Brno-město holding, which anticipates that the reconstruction costs will be below 130 million crowns. This was stated by the company’s vice-chairman Antonín Grund. The city is also collaborating on the project, which aims to assist with financing through the European grant program ITI. Zvonařka is an important international bus hub, through which 1,000 buses pass daily and between 25,000 and 30,000 people go through.

The station at Zvonařka is characterized by a design that allows parked buses to stay above the platforms. "We really like it, and it is one of the few examples of brutalist architecture in Brno. It just needs to be thoroughly cleaned," said Chybík.

To change the typical gloomy feeling of staying under the structure, the area with platforms will receive new LED lighting strips. "We will use technologies that did not exist 40 years ago. Today, lights shine in such a way that they visually reduce the space. The new lights will shine above and the light will reflect down into the space from the structure," explained Chybík, who sees the station as a public space that should be integrated into the gradually constructed Southern Center in the future.

The new check-in hall will logically be located where the most people currently flow from, that is, from Vaňkovka. It will be created in the place of today’s stalls and the first refreshment stands. The current building on Plotní Street will be repaired and will serve for the company’s administrative needs as well as provide facilities for drivers, which transport companies are increasingly calling for.

Access to the platforms will no longer be from the edges of the station, but through its center. "The aim is to make movement as clear and simple as possible," stated Chybík. A parking lot for personal cars will be located in the southern part of the station.

The tram re-routing to Plotní Street from Dornych, which is set to begin next year, coincides with the reconstruction. Thanks to this, after more than 40 years, people will finally have a tram stop directly at the station, allowing the complicated overpass from the current Zvonařka stop to be removed. A bus stop is also planned on Opuštěná Street right by the station. "Today, it is illogically shifted to the west," said Chybík.