Masaryk University will repair the closed part of the Faculty of Law

photo: www.bam.brno.cz

Brno - Masaryk University has begun renovations of four lecture halls at the Faculty of Law, which have been closed for security reasons for a year and a half. Builders used so-called aluminous cements in the 1930s, the discovery of which has raised doubts about the structural safety of part of the building. Therefore, the school had to plan more extensive construction work than originally anticipated.

The reconstruction of the rear part of the building, whose construction will cost 42 million crowns excluding value-added tax, will last one year. Students in the renovated lecture halls can also expect new furniture and audiovisual equipment, stated the school's spokesperson, Tereza Fojtová.

Due to the closure of the four lecture halls, selected lectures were held last year in alternative spaces in the area on Vinařská Street. The faculty will also use alternative spaces this year. During the repairs, the canteen located beneath the lecture halls is closed, and operations in the adjacent university hall are limited. Only selected events can take place there, such as the university festival Dies academicus and graduations.

"We are starting the reconstruction of a quarter of the building while fully operational, and although the construction areas will be separated, students and academics must expect noise and dust in the coming months," stated Blanka Přikrylová, secretary of the Faculty of Law.

The building of the Faculty of Law was constructed in the 1930s as the first and ultimately the only part of the then-planned campus of Masaryk University under Kraví hora. At that time, aluminous cements were also used in construction, which was not found to lack long-term strength until the 1950s.

In spring 2018, experts found aluminous cements in the horizontal load-bearing structures of the rear part. Based on the structural assessment, the lecture halls had to be immediately closed due to the high risk of structural failure. The initial repairs include demolishing the structures and replacing them with new ones.