Mendel’s Greenhouse by Chybik + Kristof in Brno, Czech Republic – All photos by Laurian Ghinitoiu.
Architecture – Chybik + Kristof completed Mendel’s Greenhouse in Brno, Czech Republic, a homage to scientist and abbot Gregor Mendel’s work in genetics and contribution to science, culture and humanity. After being swept by a storm in the 1870s, the historical greenhouse has been reinvented as a pavilion of genetics, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the scientist’s birth.
‘Although Mendel was stigmatised for his origin and faith by the political regimes of the past, our transformation immortalises and celebrates the abbot’s substantial achievements to society as a reconciliation with the past, ultimately cultivating a sense of belonging. The Greenhouse revives the area as a beacon of unlikely harmonious bonds working in service of its community,’ says Ondrej Chybik, co-founder of Chybik + Kristof.
From using simple, cost-efficient and recyclable materials such as steel to the instalment of low-carbon cooling and heating systems by the concealed structure of heat pumps, the Greenhouse follows CHK’s dedication to creating a sustainable and environmentally friendly design.
A concealed system of heat pumps, shading and heating, located underground, reveal the building’s sustainable scheme, reliant on its adjustable shades and embedded blinds to ensure natural cooling and ventilation in the summer and heating in the winter – thereby mirroring and revisiting the regulative properties of a greenhouse.
Located at the heart of Brno’s historic area, Stare Brno, St. Augustin Abbey dates back to the 14th century, known throughout history as a significant intellectual centre in Moravia with remarkable achievements in arts and science.
This important academic centre now houses the cradle of the world of genetics, a restored greenhouse in its garden is where Gregor Mendel, an Augustinian friar at the monastery, spent eight years conducting his experiments, cultivating pea plants to explore their hereditary physical traits.
Ultimately functioning as the monk’s outdoor laboratory adjacent so closely to the monastery, the Greenhouse restored by CHK serves as a physical reminder of the interchange and connection between science and faith, reviving the community through inclusive social dialogue with the preservation of the histories traced in physical remnants of the area.
All photos of Mendel’s Greenhouse by Chybik + Kristof are by Laurian Ghinitoiu.
