Vizovická KOMA will utilize the pavilion that it produced for the Expo within the complex

Vizovice - The Vizovice-based producer of modular systems KOMA Modular is installing a pavilion on its premises, which it manufactured for the World Expo 2015 in Milan. The company will use it as an administrative building for about 45 people, and there will also be an exhibition space to present the possibilities of modular construction. Martin Hart, the company's marketing director, told ČTK today.

Construction work on the pavilion began in September, and the rough construction and skeleton of the building is currently underway. "Next week, cladding will begin, then interior work will start," Hart stated. It is expected to be completed next year, with the pavilion scheduled to open on May 1. Before the construction began, it was necessary to demolish an old administrative building on site, and a new entrance to the premises was built.

The pavilion will serve as a permanent structure, so according to Hart, different technologies were chosen in some areas compared to those used at Expo, such as for the elevator shaft and staircase. "The layout of the second and third floors will be modified for use as an administrative building. The ground floor will have a reception area and an exhibition about the history of Expo during the time of Czechoslovakia. The entire roof will be green," Hart noted. According to him, the pavilion will not be significantly different from the one that stood in Italy. "There it was like exhibition halls, so when we have offices there, there will be windows. The cladding will be industrial, and the ribbing will remain preserved," the director explained.

The company will call the building the Center for Modular Architecture, where visitors will see the possibilities of this type of construction. "A space will be created between the pavilion and the dining hall where there will be an amphitheater; we want to host various events there, including educational ones regarding modular construction," Hart said. The company is planning excursions, and in the fall, the pavilion should be included in the architecture days program, with guided tours taking place there.

KOMA originally wanted to build a new administrative building on its site. "The pavilion had such success at Expo and won a bronze medal for architecture, so we said that we should also have an administrative building with a story, which is why we kept the pavilion," Hart stated.

In recent years, KOMA has supplied a large number of houses for refugees, primarily to Germany. They continue to build there, although not in such large numbers. The company has also secured contracts in France and supplies modular structures to the domestic and Slovak markets, addressing the shortage of capacity in education, as well as business facilities, shops, offices, and company headquarters. Last year, the company generated approximately 870 million crowns, down from 912 million crowns the previous year. About 85 percent of its production is exported. The company currently employs 240 people, and due to new contracts, that number is expected to increase.