Mendel Square: Multilayered History Site

CHYBIK+KRISTOF, Contributors, Densities, Essay, Formats, Middle Density, Territory and mobility, Topics, Urban Paradigms.

Brno, Czech Republic, Heritage, Landmark, Project, Public Space, Transformation, Transportation, Urban Legacy.

Mirroring much of Brno’s thousand-year-old architectural patrimony, Mendel Square had foregone its historical significance to become one of the city’s primary transportation hubs. It was increasingly sidelined by the city’s inhabitants as it fell into gradual deterioration. Active advocates for the preservation of architectural heritage, CHYBIK + KRISTOF reaffirm their longstanding engagement, as their new design for the site adds the restored Brutalist heritage landmark, Zvonarka Bus Terminal, to the studio’s list of architectural protection initiatives. An homage to the area’s multilayered history, their proposal engages with distinct periods of its past, reflected in the surrounding monuments, all-the-while situating the square as the marker of a new chapter in Brno’s historical and sociocultural narrative.