The Black Cube

In 2004, a competition was announced for the preparation of the urban, architectural and operational design of the new library building. A total of 43 proposals were submitted, the winner was Ladislav Kuba and Tomáš Pilař with a project that was called the Black Cube. The architecturally distinctive building symbolizing a solid container of knowledge was to be built opposite the House of Culture of Ostrava and was to become one of the landmarks of the Moravian-Silesian metropolis. In 2010, however, this project was put on hold due to its high financial demands.

 

In the following years, various proposals for the design of the library's new headquarters emerged. One of the most important was a project that envisaged the location of the library in the attractive area of Dolní Vítkovice. However, this project encountered problems with financing and was abandoned at an early stage.

 

In 2018, the Moravian-Silesian Regional Council decided to return to the Black Cube project, which will be adapted for the needs of a 21st century smart library. The project documentation is now being worked on intensively, and the new library is scheduled to open in 2027. 

 

Find more information about the project here:

The Black Cube - A Centre for Digitalization, Research and Innovation (leaflet, 2023)