2023-07-28 09:00:00
To Johann Mendel, who later became Gregor as an Augustinian monk, we owe the identification of the laws underlying inheritance. It was in fact this biologist and mathematician born on 20 July 1822 in Hynčice, a small town in the Czech Republic, who developed a series of researches and experiments on the hybridization of plants for which he is recognized as the father of genetics. The site of his famous pioneer studies, in which he spent eight years conducting the cultivation of pea plants, was theSt Thomas’s Abbey in Brnowhose historic greenhouse was destroyed by a storm in 1870.
Until today, no one had ever thought of giving back to the scientific community and not, a place of such great value. The CHYBIK + KRISTOF studio took care of it, which last June announced the completion of Mendel’s Greenhouse, a new greenhouse built on the ancient foundations of the original 19th century greenhousein direct dialogue with the 14th century Abbey, but above all a true pavilion dedicated to genetics which pays tribute to the work of the scientist and abbot Gregor Mendel.
With work begun during the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Mendel’s birth, today the building stands as a place that on the one hand enhances the local history and heritage, and on the other becomes a brand new public space, combining innovation and respect for the heritage of the city of Brno. In fact, Mendel’s Greenhouse hosts a permanent exhibition dedicated to Mendel’s legacy, but also conferences, cultural events, exhibitions and concerts. And finally, as in the nineteenth century, welcomes a cultivation of peas today in aeroponic pots, a further reference to cutting-edge techniques used by Mendel.
Chybik + Kristof have consulted archival material, such as old photographs and plans, to respect the philology of the place as much as possible. As the new greenhouse maintains the size and floor plan of the original building, as well as its distinctive sloped roofwhile the large glass walls allow continuity without visual obstacles with the monastery park.
Salsomaggiore, Futura is the magic word by Francesca Gugliotta 10 July 2023
And invitation in architectural form to the discovery of genetics and modern science. The symbolic and functional novelty is instead constituted by the reinterpretation of the bearing structure of the steel roof, with nodes and branches inspired by Mendel’s three laws of inheritanceespecially that of hereditary segregation.
Mendel’s Greenhouse is located in the historic heart of Brno, Stare Brno, and the St. Thomas Abbey has been over the centuries one of the most important intellectual centers of Moravia, place of connection between science and faith, between community and secular power. A connection that the CHYBIK + KRISTOF studio celebrates with special attention to sustainability of the building. From the use of simple, cheap and recyclable materials such as steel, al low-carbon cooling and heat pump heating system hidden undergroundup to adjustable curtains that guarantee natural cooling and ventilation in the summer and heating in the winter by reflecting and revisiting the regulatory properties of a greenhouse.
Herzog & de Meuron, the pure idea of Silvana Annicchiarico 14 July 2023
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