Kudlov Dam Sports complex

On a site near to the Kudlov Dam, just a few dozen metres from Štefánikova Street behind the Centroprojekt building, a structure connecting the sports field with a covered large-capacity car park was built as part of the first stage of the construction of the "Kudlov Dam" sports complex. The project resulted from an architectural competition organised by the department of the chief architect. The author of the winning design was Zlín architect Jiří Záhořák (1957), a graduate of the Faculty of Technical University Brno, who together with Jiří Habarta founded the ADDO studio in 1992. During the 1990s, this studio was responsible for the reconstruction of today's Komerční banka (1993) and the renovation of the house of Mr. Javorský by Miroslav Lorenc (1996), amongst other projects.

 

The trapezoidal building has two floors, three in the front (entrance) part. Although the architect used a traditional Zlín material – face bricks – the building nevertheless features elements that are less common in local constructions. The front façade of the building is convex along its entire length and divided by two rows of smaller square windows. Three pairs of circular windows appear on the façade on the east side. The open parterre of the entrance section is carried by yellow round columns. The structure houses – except for the parking - changing rooms, social facilities, a clubhouse, warehouses, and a staircase connecting three floors. The car park for 75 cars is on the ground floor, and four volleyball courts with a clay surface are located on the roof. A 3.6 metres high fence surrounds the perimeter of the playgrounds. Operationally, the car park was to be used by Centroprojekt employees, and in the afternoon by visitors to the sports ground.

 

As part of the second stage, a multi-purpose hall for ball games and a two-storey building in the shape of a cube, which was to be orientated towards the dam, were to be built. The existing building would have enclosed the entire complex; a tribune for 180 visitors was designed into the new premises, with the possibility of increasing the capacity by another 80 seats. According to contemporary articles, the use of exposed concrete, steel, glass and wooden elements was supposed to create a contrast with the pre-war Baťa architecture. Nothing was realised from the second stage, however. At the construction site, there are unkempt playgrounds and a temporary building of former changing rooms. The originally-planned cultivation of the area around the dam also remained unfinished. The building of the sports complex still operates according to the original plans, but it is separated from the surroundings by a crossbar and therefore cannot be seen from the street. The rest of the valuable space in the middle of the city is still waiting for further use.

 

 

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