Brno, January 15, 2018
The project team consists of Tomasz Konior (POL), Yasuhisu Toyota (US) and Petr Hrůša (CZ) signed contract about supplying a project documentation for building permit and a project documentation for the above-ground part of Janáček Cultural Centre. So the new concert hall, Brno is waiting about hudred years. „Today we visited a rehearsal of Brno Philharmonic and we ensured ourselves about how amazing it is to project a concert hall for such a beautiful city full of music lowers as Brno is. Hope we will start the very new era for culture and music life here“, says general project architect Tomasz Konior. He mentioned his previous cooperation with Yasuhisu Toyotou. „He is an acouctic genious. We cooperated on concert hall in Katowice opened in 2014. I am looking forward to everything we are about to experience, all together with professor Hrůša“ adds Konior.
Also Toyota emphasized previous cooperation. „I am an acoustic which means there are two imporant things for me: shape of the hall and material. Although these highlights are my aims, they are also very important for architects so I am looking forward to work togehter with this team. Katowice were a great experience and I am sure we will use it in Brno. And we are ready to start!“, says Toyota.
Brno Mayor, Petr Vokřál, expressed his hope about Brno lives too see the concert hall. „I believe with singing the contract today our dream comes true. It is a huge pledge for the city. I wish the team to give us the best they have already given to other cities“, says Vokřál.
He also mentioned a commitment of former Minister of Culture, about the contribution of 600 million crowns
„I believe with help of the state, not only the financial one, and a support of Department of Culture, we will open the new concert hall in three years.“, says Minister of Culture Ilja Šmíd.
The winning team resulted of the qualifying round of four candidates, where two qualified for the competitive round. The first task for the team will be connecting the underground and above-ground of the building. If everything as planned, the building is about to grown one year later. The new concert hall should be opened in season 2020 / 2021.
About the project team
Tomasz Konior (1968)
General project architect
. architect and urbanist from Poland
. founder, owner and the head architect in Konior Studio
. architect of an international proclaimed concert hall in Katowice
. International and honorably prizes winner
Yasuhisa Toyota (1952)
General acoustical engineer
. President of US Company Nagata Acoustics founded in 1971
. Nagata Acoustics, headed by Yasuhisa Toyota, has designed almost sixty concert halls around the whole world
. the most awarded concert halls are Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Suntory Hall in Tokio, Helsinki Music Center, recently opened Elbphilharmonie in Hamburk, and now in charge to renovate concert hall in Sydney Opera House
. general acoustical engineer of concert hall in Katowice working with Tomasz Konior
. there is a story about an extraordinary abilities of Yasuhisu Toyota from Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles. It happenned during rehearsal for grand opening of the new concert hall. An orchestra did not feel comfortable with the sound of lower tones, the sound simply wasn´t how it was supposed to be. So they asked Mr Toyota to come. Mr Toyota sat in the auditorium and listened the orchestra about one hour. After that he stood up, pointed at the ceiling and said: „Lets change that acoustic board and that one behind.“ It was proved later that those two boards had different consistency than the others.
Petr Hrůša (1955)
Architect of construction part
. architect and founder of Architekti Hrůša & spol., Ateliér Brno, s.r.o.
. architectural prizes winner
. author of prominent buidings in Brno etc. Vaňkovka Gallery, BVV Pavilon P, Administrational Centre Trinity, Domini Park, and an arrangement of public spaces, etc. Moravien Square
. appointed in 2003 as Professor of Architecture
About Hall for Brno
Sál pro Brno/Hall for Brno (Janáček Cultural Centre) is a project aiming to ensure construction of a new concert hall for Brno. It will be home for the Brno Philharmonic, an orchestra of over a hundred members which plays and practises in unsuitable conditions. The whole orchestra does not fit on the Besední dům stage where the Philharmonic is based. And Janáček Theatre, where they often hold concerts, has poor acoustics. As such, the audience doesn’t actually know how Brno Philharmonic sound. “Thanks to this new hall, the orchestra’s quality will finally find appreciation and I trust that Brno will also attract cutting edge international artists whom we currently have nowhere to invite to,” says Director of Brno Philharmonic, Marie Kučerová.
Contact for the media:
Kateřina Konečná – PR Manager, Hall for Brno, 775 426 040, konecna@salprobrno.cz, www.salprobrno.cz