Invitation to a lecture by Josef Pleskot – Monastery and Steelworks

At the invitation of the Center for Theology and Art, on Thursday, March 25, 2009, at 6:00 PM at the Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University, Thákurova 3, leading Czech architect Josef Pleskot will give a lecture. His Prague AP studio is simultaneously immersed in two projects: the transformation of the national cultural monument of the lower Vítkovice area in Ostrava and the transformation of the Dominican monastery at St. Giles in Prague. Two projects that have more in common than different... Architect Pleskot will address questions about the meaning of restoring historical objects through two specific examples. How to breathe new life into buildings, without turning them into unsustainable museum exhibits, while preserving the heritage of the past and the continuity of tradition?

Ing. arch. Josef Pleskot (* 1952) has led the Prague AP studio since 1991. This design office deals with a wide range of tasks, from initial urban architectural concepts to the realization of buildings across a broad spectrum of typological types. Among his most famous realizations are the building of Vinařství Sonberk (2008); the ČSOB headquarters in Prague Radlice (2007, main Grand Prix OA 2008 award; Building of the Year 2007); the reconstruction of the Castle Brewery in Litomyšl (2006); the Natural Trail in Jelení příkop and the Passage through the rampart of the Powder Bridge in the Prague Castle complex (2003, Brick Award 2004).

The meeting is organized in cooperation with the theological review Salve and the Czech Dominican Province.