The new multi-purpose building in the Botanical Garden of the Palacký University Olomouc Faculty of Science (UP FS) provides the academic community and the public alike with a lecture hall, a winter garden, and high-quality social and technical facilities. The preparations for the project of a modern building with low energy consumption started three years ago. The construction itself required an investment of €1,250,000.
The Botanical Garden is located near Smetana Park and is the oldest facility managed by the UP FS. The original building on the garden grounds was built more than a hundred years ago, so its technical condition did not correspond to current needs. UP FS management therefore considered whether to renovate the old building expensively, or to erect a new building. “In the end, the most economical solution was to build a new one in the front section of the garden. The new building will not only provide space for administrative facilities, but also a hall in which classes and public events can be held. This should not only expand the possibilities for practical teaching using the valuable botanical collections we maintain, but also provide a platform for popularisation events in an attractive environment,” said UP FS Dean Martin Kubala.
The core of the new building is the lecture hall, which bears the name of Josef Otruba, an important Moravian botanist of the first half of the 20th century. “We decided to name the hall after him for several reasons. Firstly, he managed the garden for thirty years, and thanks to his care the plant collections survived the hardships of World War II. In addition, Otruba was a great field botanist who discovered many new and rare plant species – not only in Central Moravia. He also contributed to the designation of several small protected areas in the local region of Haná,” said the head of the botanical garden, Václav Dvořák.
The modern hall has a capacity of 49 seats and is equipped with audio-visual equipment enabling the organisation of conferences, lectures, and screenings. It will be used not only for education but also for public events. “We’d like to hold exhibitions in the hall in semi-annual cycles and with a natural sciences orientation, conceived either scientifically or artistically. We believe that the cultural community of Olomouc will soon adopt this unusual format,” said Dvořák.
The new building was designed in a passive standard so that its operation would not be demanding on energy and water consumption. “We have adapted the used technologies, such as photovoltaic roof panels, heat pumps, and heat recovery. We also included a green roof, a rainwater retention tank, and a trellis system on the facades, which is used to grow climbing plants,” added Dvořák. The building also features a winter garden with tropical and subtropical plants from the collection of the UP FS Department of Botany.
