The best of the Czech and Slovak scene. That's what the Salón dřevostaveb exhibition is about. After showings in Prague and Bratislava, it's now with us. Because when timber is the subject, we have to be part of it. Timber-framed buildings are simply at home with us. We design them, build them, and pr
The best of the Czech and Slovak scene — that's what the Salón dřevostaveb exhibition is about. After showings in Prague and Bratislava, it's now with us. Because when the talk turns to timber, we have to be part of it. Timber buildings are simply at home with us. We design them, build them and work in them.
For our purposes we gave the exhibition the subtitle Timber Buildings on a Timber Building. We placed it on the roof of Building F, whose entire structure is made of wood. The opening was on Thursday 19 October. Before the exhibition opened, a bus excursion took visitors around selected timber buildings in the area — the headquarters of Kloboucká lesní in Brumov-Bylnice, the parish centre in Lidečko, and the lookout tower in Vysoké Pole.
The highlight of the whole day was an early-evening debate on timber construction. For a few hours we turned Hall E2 into an improvised conference room with a distinctive atmosphere. The discussion between architects Pavel Rak and Kamil Mrva, Vojta Dorňák (owner of Kloboucká lesní), architect and managing director of studio Prodesi/Domesi Pavel Horák, and Radek Hegmon was moderated by Dan Merta, curator of Design Field.
And since we're at Design Field, we adapted the food to match. On the bus, a classic — schnitzel between two slices of bread. At the debate, dishes were served that used to fill cottages in Slovácko and Valašsko with their aroma several times a month — kontrabáš made from potatoes and buckwheat, or šumajstr cooked from groats and beans.
Press release
The road to real sustainability runs through quality. And that is certainly not cheap.
Which timber buildings meet these conditions?
To showcase their practical and aesthetic value and place them in the context of sustainable construction — that was the ambition behind the touring exhibition Salon dřevostaveb. After showings in Prague and Bratislava, 39 projects can now be seen in Bílovice near Uherské Hradiště. Here, the exhibition installation forms part of the Design Field platform at the Egoé campus, Bílovice 519. It is open until 2 January.
The Salon dřevostaveb project offers the most interesting work in the field every year — presenting exceptional projects, showcasing top technologies and their use in architecturally striking buildings. It's a source of inspiration for investors, architects, suppliers, developers and the general public, opening up topics around the use of ecological materials and a responsible way of life.
In Prague, the Salon dřevostaveb exhibition was installed on the piazzetta of the National Theatre; in Bratislava, at the Gallery of the Society of Slovak Architects. In Bílovice the project went even higher — onto the flat roof of one of the buildings on the campus. „It's an attractive space, and there's symbolism in it too. The building, which houses offices, meeting rooms and showrooms, belongs to the category of large multifunctional timber structures,“ says art and architecture historian Dan Merta, curator of Design Field.
The pick of the crop and a debate at a wooden table
The Dřevostavby na dřevostavbě project also included accompanying events. Chief among them was an excursion to the best that timber construction currently has to offer in Slovácko and Valašsko. Along the way, participants saw the headquarters of Kloboucká lesní in Brumov-Bylnice, the parish centre in Lidečko, the lookout tower in Vysoké Pole, the Ulita cottage, and an administrative building in Bílovice.
Debate: How to understand wood
After the opening, a professional debate was held in Bílovice with architects Pavel Rak and Kamil Mrva, Vojta Dorňák (owner of Kloboucká lesní), architect and managing director of studio Prodesi/Domesi Pavel Horák, and Radek Hegmon, chief designer and owner of Egoé. „In the debate we touched on many circumstances and opened up an important topic that hasn't resonated much yet — that the road to real sustainability runs through quality. And that, whether we're talking about materials, design or structural solutions, is certainly not cheap,“ notes Dan Merta.
What is Design Field
The Dřevostavby na dřevostavbě exhibition is realised as part of the long-term Design Field platform. The aim is to turn the campus of a former agricultural cooperative in Bílovice into a multifunctional space that offers inspiration. The way there is through permanent and temporary exhibitions dedicated to design, examples of public-space solutions, art workshops, and gatherings at events held directly on campus and in the adjoining camp. Design Field is run under the Egoé holding, which took over the entire campus as a brownfield years ago and has been giving it new purpose ever since.
