The reconstruction project of the House of Culture in Šumperk will be taken on by atelier38

Šumperk – All design work related to the comprehensive reconstruction of the Šumperk House of Culture will be handled by the renowned office atelier38. The design office, which won the competition, will oversee the project from documentation for building permits to supervision concluded with occupancy approval. The project documentation for the building permit will cost 8.6 million crowns and should be completed by the end of 2024. The total costs for design work up to occupancy approval will reach 24 million crowns, the city hall stated on its website.

The city has been looking for a designer for several years. The previous tender was affected by the Office for the Protection of Competition. "This is already the umpteenth attempt. Last time, there was no other solution than to cancel that competition. The contract has now been signed; if someone challenges the competition, it will not stop the fulfillment," said Šumperk's deputy mayor Karel Hošek (Šumperáci) to ČTK today.

The Ostrava-based atelier38 has on its record, for example, the successful reconstruction of the Czech Radio headquarters in Olomouc, the renovation of the castle in Hranice na Moravě, or the construction of the Archaeopark in Chotěbuz. "Additionally, the team of designers includes an architect who participated in the reconstruction of the State Opera in Prague and the Vinohrady Theatre," said city hall representatives.

The architectural study for the reconstruction of the House of Culture in Šumperk, the venue for cultural events and particularly the prestigious international festival Blues Alive, was prepared by Prague architect Petr Hájek, who also participated in the restoration of the Upper Square in Olomouc and the construction of the Archdiocesan Museum in Olomouc. The extensive repair of the building has been planned by the city for several years. The costs for the reconstruction were originally estimated at a quarter of a billion crowns; according to Hošek, the amount now hovers around 400 million crowns. "We will try to involve the representatives and discuss what is necessary for the future of the cultural house for the next 40 years," the deputy mayor added. The timeline for the reconstruction cannot yet be estimated.

The Šumperk city hall purchased the House of Culture in 2016 for 18 million crowns from the Kovo Pramet trade union organization. At the same time, the city committed to repay six million crowns to the Office for the Representation of the State in Property Affairs for the land under the building. If the city had not bought the building, there was a risk that all cultural events would lose their facilities.