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Steven Holl’s zinc-clad Ostrava Concert Hall set to begin construction

2023-04-21T11:39:00-04:00

Construction is set to begin on the Steven Holl Architects-designed Ostrava Concert Hall in the Czech Republic. Hall won the competition for the scheme’s design back in 2018 with a proposal that saw the concert hall “encased” in a case of zinc.

Image credit: Steven Holl Architects

The 1,300-seat concert hall was designed in collaboration with Prague-based associate architects Architecture Acts and is being developed in collaboration with the city of Ostrava. The team has previously described the scheme as a “perfect acoustic instrument in its case,” with a smooth facade of zinc covering a vineyard-type concert hall plan made of concrete and maple wood.

Image credit: Steven Holl Architects

“We celebrate the completion of construction drawings and building permit with the hope of realizing this great public work for the joy of future generations,” Hall said as the scheme prepares to begin construction. “Ostrava’s legacy of music, the highest art, shall get a space of perfect acoustics a...

Chybik + Kristof's new Ostrava Tower will become the tallest skyscraper in the Czech Republic

2022-02-15T18:49:00-05:00

The Czech Republic is set to receive yet another major new architectural addition after Chybik + Kristof unveiled plans for what it says will become the country’s tallest skyscraper.

Located in the central district of Ostrava, the 235-meter (771-foot) Ostrava Tower is a case for “[reconsidering] the typology of the skyscraper into a new functional entity responsive to the contemporary social needs,” according to the architects. Namely, the 98,000-square-meter (1.05-million-square-foot) multi-use building will bring to light the important activation of public space caused by the infill project which began in 2019.

Visualization: Igor Brozyna - PLACES studio, NORVISKA, Dousek Zaborsky

Ostrava is in the process of completing its three-decade transformation from a coal and heavy metals producer to a newer economy that leans on its rich stock of traditional architecture in order to create the necessary spaces required to keep up with the demands of its million-plus inhabitants in the met...