The Pardubice Region is preparing changes to the interiors of the House of Music

Pardubice - The Pardubice Region is preparing to enhance the community spaces of the House of Music in Pardubice. The café has already undergone a slight transformation, and further gradual changes will follow at the end of 2018. This was stated to journalists today by Deputy Governor Roman Línek (KDU-ČSL). In the 1980s, the building served as the headquarters of the Communist Party, and the house was not designed for musical productions.

The building, constructed in 1983, was not only a party facility; it also housed youth organizations and the monopolistic trade union organization ROH. At the beginning of the 1990s, the state acquired the building, and it began to be used by the Pardubice Conservatory, the East Bohemian State Chamber Orchestra, today's Pardubice Chamber Philharmonic, and the Havlíčkova Elementary Art School.

"The spaces are technically and user-wise outdated in many respects. The purpose of their use has fundamentally changed. They were planned as meeting rooms," said Línek. The region renovated the large hall in 2004 for 51 million CZK and installed an organ in it. No other changes or innovations have been made, Línek stated.

Architect Ondřej Teplý from the company Mixage, together with the creator of the original design, Jan Třeštík, has already completed the renovation study. Glass views through the entire building will be preserved and further emphasized. They offer a view of greenery as well as the castle.

"The layers of the original era will be removed. Users have changed the function of the house; some changes were positive, others negative. Everything will be replaced with better design. The ceilings, cladding, and quality materials are valuable; they will play the main role in this interior and will not be hidden," said architect Teplý.

The house will also need to be equipped with better audiovisual technology, as the meeting rooms are not designed for musicians' rehearsals or concerts. They do not have ideal acoustics. All three halls, namely two small ones and one large one, will be suitable for lectures and conference meetings after the technology is updated. In the current café, new tables and chairs are already in place, which according to architect Třeštík fit the space better. "I am glad that this space has been cleansed, brightened, and clarified," he said.

In addition to the interior renovations costing 25 to 30 million CZK, the regional government is preparing insulation of the building, including the replacement of windows, for 40 million CZK. The work will be done concurrently. It is expected to be completed in 2020.

"The conservatory will be able to host various types of events; other tenants can hold conferences and similar occasions here," said the deputy director of the conservatory, Alois Mach. The school has 250 students, and another 1200 pupils attend the House of Music, for example, from the elementary art school, Mach added.