Interested parties can view the model of the interior of the new concert hall in Ostrava

Ostrava – Interested parties can view the acoustic model of the interior of the new concert hall in Ostrava at a scale of 1:10. It is on display starting today at the city gallery PLATO in the premises of the former Bauhaus hobby market. This was stated by Gabriela Pokorná, a spokesperson for the Ostrava city hall. The concert hall will be shaped like a musical instrument case. The construction utilizes the listed building of the House of Culture of the City of Ostrava, which is being expanded with a new dominant annex for the main concert hall.

"For several months, only figurines with hair and clothing were placed in the model. They mimicked the audience in the hall and helped simulate real acoustic conditions. It was precisely to achieve the best acoustic parameters for the future concert hall that a perfect copy of its interior was created, where a series of acoustic measurements took place," she said.

These were carried out by the Japanese company Nagata Acoustics over several months in specialized workshops in Mnichovo Hradiště. After the measurements were completed, the model was transported to Ostrava, where it is now accessible. The public can thus get an idea of what the concert hall will look like or sound like. "The annex of the concert hall itself, according to the design of New York architect Steven Holl, is part of the reconstruction of the existing House of Culture of the City of Ostrava. The entire complex will then offer multifunctional use for cultural, educational, and commercial purposes," she stated.

Work on the concert hall project and the reconstruction of the culture house, which is beyond its lifespan, continues according to the plans of Ostrava Mayor Tomáš Macura (ANO). "A contract for financial participation of 300 million crowns has already been signed with the Moravian-Silesian Region a few days ago. A request for financing under the third pillar of the Operational Program Just Transformation (JTF) is in process, as well as a request for funding from the Operational Program Environment. Additionally, negotiations are ongoing with the state, which, like the Moravian-Silesian Region, has promised co-financing based on a cooperation memorandum from 2018. Furthermore, the city has been systematically setting aside its own financial resources for this investment since 2017 in a purpose-built Fund for the Construction of the Concert Hall," Macura stated.

The Ostrava concert hall will have a capacity of 1,300 seats in the auditorium, which will be arranged in a so-called vineyard style, divided into smaller sections, and part of the seating will be behind a separate stage. The design of the concert hall, which also includes the reconstruction of the House of Culture of the City of Ostrava, is by American architect Steven Holl with his studio Steven Holl Architects from New York in collaboration with the Prague studio Architecture Acts. Including preparations, the construction of the concert hall is expected to cost more than three billion crowns.

The social hall of the current culture house will be transformed into a chamber hall with an additional capacity of 515 seats. A recording studio will be created in one of the side parts of the current building. Another component will be an educational center with a maximum capacity of 200 people focused on music, theater, and visual arts workshops for schools and the public. This will also include a conference hall with a gallery and a capacity for 200 people, a theater hall for 490 spectators, and facilities for a 100-member orchestra of the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava. There will also be a restaurant, café, lounges, and spaces for leisure activities.