The asbestos removal at the Art cinema in Brno will cost almost three million

photo: TIC Brno

Brno - The removal of asbestos at the Art cinema in Brno will cost nearly three million crowns. Its presence was discovered during renovation. This will delay the opening, which was planned for this autumn. It will be postponed until spring or summer of next year, Brno Mayor Petr Vokřál (ANO) told reporters today. The reconstruction will affect the facade and the interior spaces, and a barrier-free access will be created.

The reconstruction was supposed to start and finish this year. "It was only during the repairs that it was discovered that there are coatings containing asbestos in the building. The company could not proceed because of this. We must proceed according to laws and standards, and all these components with dangerous substances must be removed. Unfortunately, this will cost us over 2.5 million crowns beyond what we had budgeted," Vokřál stated.

The removal will take about 100 days. "As soon as it is finished, we will calculate a new completion date for the reconstruction. We will do everything we can to make it as soon as possible. I expect that the cinema will open at the end of spring or the beginning of summer next year. The most pessimistic scenario is August," Vokřál added.

The 16 million crown reconstruction includes not only insulation but also the replacement of doors, windows, the adjustment of the projection booth, the renovation of the sanitary facilities, electrical installations, and air conditioning.

Partial repairs had been made in the Art cinema in the past. The earlier entrance from Botanická Street was replaced by an entrance from Cihlářská, and a café and a small hall were created. Almost ten years ago, the cinema's seats were changed, and six years ago the roof was repaired. At that time, the cinema was also digitized.

The Art cinema is the last cinema operated by the city of Brno through its contributory organization. The Scala cinema is also owned by them, which was modernized from 2012 to 2013, but it is operated by Masaryk University as a tenant.