Urban Interventions Kladno 2013 - Invitation to the Exhibition

On October 1st at 19:00, the exhibition of 36 proposals for improving public space in Kladno will be launched with a vernissage. The exhibition in the FBMI CVUT building on Sítná will be open to everyone throughout October. A catalog featuring all the proposals will be published in conjunction with the exhibition. The organizers are also preparing accompanying programs, including a film screening and lectures.



Central Bohemian Kladno has been gifted over thirty architectural proposals for the modification of the city's public space. Within the project Urban Interventions Kladno 2013, prepared by the Kladno organization Klad-on/off, 27 architects, artists, students, and other authors created proposals free of charge.

Each author clearly presented an idea for changing one or more locations in Kladno. The proposals are mostly conceived as a comparison of two photographs – the current state and the proposed state. This allows the intent of the author to be understood at first glance, even without the complicated study of drawings or extensive texts. “It was precisely the ability to communicate clearly with the general public that caught our attention, and we decided to hold the Urban Interventions event, originally conceived by Slovak architects Matúš Vallo and Oliver Sadovský, which has successfully taken place in several cities, here in Kladno as well.”, say the organizers of the Kladno event.

The original concept in Kladno was enriched by gathering inputs from local residents. From April to June, people could express their opinions via pins and cards on a map in the library or by sticking stickers on specific places in the city. Over two months, around 200 suggestions were collected regarding what people don't like in the city as well as which places they appreciate. This resulted in a unique brochure [dis]likes, which served as inspiration for the authors of the proposals and could also act as a guide for the management and development of the city in the future. “We believe that a truly quality urban environment can only arise based on good collaboration between the city leadership, architects, and the general public,” says architect Ondřej Rys, one of the event organizers.

The proposals developed by authors during the summer will be presented to the general public at the exhibition in the foyer of "KOKOS" - today the FBMI CVUT building on Sítná. “We chose this location because it is in the center of the city and is open to everyone 24 hours a day,” adds another organizer, architect Marek Bečka. The exhibition, which will last until the end of October, will be inaugurated with a vernissage on Tuesday, October 1st at 19:00. The organizers aim to encourage discussion about the city and its public space with accompanying programs such as a screening of the film “Human Scale” and a lecture by Slovak architect Matúš Vallo.

An integral part of the project is a catalog containing all submitted proposals. Given that most proposals have the potential to be realized, the catalog serves as a repository of ideas for improving the city. At any point in the future, the catalog can be pulled from the library, and the author can be approached to refine the project, allowing the proposal to be realized. Many proposals are rather small-scale, often requiring only goodwill and minimal financial resources for their implementation. This has already been demonstrated by the authors of one proposal, who tested their idea at a 1:1 scale, and Kladno children received an unconventional gift on their first school day: an enlarged Lego construction placed in front of the school on Cyrila Boudy Street.

“We are truly excited about the progression of the event and its outcomes, and we hope that some of the proposals will be implemented, thus improving the environment in our city!” adds Václav Kruliš, the third organizer. Showing that the space in the city matters to the people and that they are interested in participating in its creation and discussion has already been accomplished, which is certainly not a small achievement.

Organizers:
o.s. KLAD-ON/OFF: Ing.arch. Ondřej Rys, Ing.arch. Marek Bečka, Ing. arch. Václav Kruliš
Cooperation (graphics, catalog): Rostislav Zapletal, Matěj Moravec

Authors of the idea:
Ing.arch. Matúš Vallo and Ing.arch. Oliver Sadovský (Vallo Sadovsky Architects)

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