Days of Architecture 2014 in Bratislava: old new

The common feature of the selected works is not only their recent comprehensive restoration. All buildings, although in different ways, were marked by the socialist period (1948 – 1989). Whether the objects were taken from private owners or threatened by indifference, incompetence, or insolvency on the part of the manager or owner—predominantly state institutions—the current era brings new opportunities arising from the interest of new private owners, the need for current use, relatively unlimited markets for new materials and technologies, and openness to unconventional authorship approaches. However, all of this also brings risks of losing the authenticity of the works, their original character, and arbitrary handling.
We aimed to select a diverse range of typologies in the buildings—ranging from individual housing (the family house of builder Ružička), through the traditional concert hall Reduta, to an example from the field of modern Bratislava industrial architecture (Water Tower, Istrochem area). The selected works demonstrate the entire range of various creative approaches, from confident authorial interventions to deep respect for the original work.
Architecture Days will officially open on Thursday May 15, 2014, at 5:00 PM with the opening of an exhibition Monitoring Modernity connected with a panel discussion at the Exhibition Space of the ÚSTARCH SAV, Dúbravská cesta 9 in Bratislava. The exhibition will critically reflect on contemporary practices in the care for the heritage of modern architecture in Slovakia. Eight examples of top works of Slovak modernism will represent contemporary good practice but also mistakes and losses in the protection and restoration of our heritage. The concept of the exhibition is based on collaborative research projects from the Department of Architecture ÚSTARCH SAV, the National Heritage Institute of the Slovak Republic, and the Department of Restoration at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. It will present unique visual documents, as well as genuinely authentic “fragments” of works such as Behrens' Neologian Synagogue or Dedek's Slovak National Gallery. A panel discussion during the opening of the exhibition will be a platform where invited architects and researchers dealing with the restoration of modern architecture will present what constitutes good practice.

Moderator: Henrieta Moravčíková
Guests: Martin Jančok, Denis Haberland, Martin Kusý and Pavol Panák, Peter Szalay
Duration of the exhibition: May 16 – June 30, 2014
Place: Exhibition Space oA, ÚSTARCH SAV, Dúbravská cesta 9, Bratislava

Concept and coordination: Henrieta Moravčíková, Katarína Andrašičová, Katarína Haberlandová, Laura Pastoreková, Peter Szalay, Mária Topoľčanská

Program:

Thursday, May 15
5:00 PM
Opening event connected with the opening of the exhibition Monitoring Modernity
Exhibition Space
ÚSTARCH SAV
Dúbravská cesta 9
Bratislava 4

Friday, May 16
2:00 PM
Atelier Studený, Partizánska 33, Bratislava 1 (Ján Studený, 2013)

2:00 PM
Family House of Builder Ružička, Kručméryho 15, Bratislava 1 (Beáta Hermannová, Juraj Hermann, 2008) Registration is required for the excursion.

3:00 PM
Atelier Water Tower, Nobelova 34, Bratislava 3 (Martin Kusý, Pavol Panák, Jana Panáková, 2008)


Saturday, May 17
10:00 AM
Faculty of Philosophy of Comenius University, Gondova 2, Bratislava 1 (Igor Palčo, Barbara Boríková, Naďa Doletinová, Miroslav Egyed, Jozef Karlubík, Rastislav Kňava, 2007)

11:00 AM
Hotel Tulip House, Štúrova 10, Bratislava 1 (Viktor Šabík and Atelier Šebo-Lichý, interiors by Zuzana Cambelová, 2008) Registration is required for the excursion.

12:00 PM
City Gate, Nám. SNP 19, Bratislava 1 (Martin Kusý, Pavol Panák, 2009) Registration is required for the excursion.

1:00 PM
Reduta, Palackého 2, Bratislava 1 (Gabriel Drobniak, Dušan Jurkovič, Matúš Ivanič – G&D architectural office, restoration works by Vladimír Višváder – Villard Bratislava, 2012)

3:00 PM
Villa Horský Park, Prokopa Veľkého 41, Bratislava 1 (Ján M. Bahna, František Starý – AA Atelier architecture, 1996)


Sunday, May 18

9:00 AM
Jewish Community Museum and Synagogue, Heydukova 11, Bratislava 1 (Martin Lepej, 2012) Registration is required for the excursion.

11:00 AM
Ceremonial Hall at the Jewish Cemetery, Žižkova 36, Bratislava 1 (Ján Lukáč, 2013) Registration is required for the excursion.

12:00 PM
Neologian Synagogue in Žilina, Hurbanova 11, Žilina (Martin Jančok, o.z. Truc sphérique, 2014) Registration is required for the excursion.

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