Blob Library

It should be a similar event, like when the Czechs in 19th century collected money, under the slogan ‘Nation for Itself’, and built the National Theatre. The idea came from a meeting of Jan Kaplicky, with his wife, and Jiri Paroubek, the leader of CSSD and his wife, Petra Paroubkova. They are considering to make a ‘Blob supportive project’.

The total price of Blob is estimated at three billions czk, which means the collection pool would need every Czech, including the newborn, to donate 300 czk, to finance the building completely. But Paroubkova seems to don’t mind, as she states it would be more like a manifest of solidarity with the project.

“Supermarkets are built here without any troubles. If they would look like Sellfridges in Birmingham by Kaplicky, everything would be fine. But there are no new buildings, which could carry the cultural heritage on.” Paroubkova explained for MF Dnes.

Into the never-ending Blob fraud among the ODS and the National Library entered a new subject, the KDU-CSL, the Christian Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People’s Party. Their leader Jiri Cunek said for Pravo on Tuesday, he personally wants to fight to get money for the building.

He said he supports Blob, because “… I think it is remarkable architecture, which would give Prague, that needs the National Library anyway, more shine.” According to him, the ministry of culture has 1,9 billion czk for the construction and to get another billion would be enough to start negotiations with the municipal council.

The question remains, whether to get a billion czk would help to get the building across. What is for certain, that to support Blob means for the members of People’s party to provoke the ODS and the president against them.

The director of the National library Vlastimil Jezek appealed on the Prague Mayor, Pavel Bem, Prague should finally sell the grounds, on which the Blob was supposed to stand, on Prague Letna. Jezek refers to two years old decree of the deputies, where Prague pledges to sell acres worth 31,5 milion czk to the Library. However, it is all conditioned the Library will submit building licence.

Due to continuing and increasing obstructions, that are put to the way of the Blob, the Library cannot gain the licence, and Jezek appeals for prolonging of the deadline to 2011. “Time is our enemy” he reasons the appeal; “Without new spaces, the library is going to collapse after 2015.”

What will happen is still obscure. The contest was, according to various institution regular. According to Jezek, there are no factual problems, the only obstacles are some influential politicians, trying to prevent the new library from being build. Source: Aktualne.cz

It resembles the times of ‘the Czech National Renaissance’; at the corridors of Prague Klementinum, the present seat of the National Library, are foundation stones everywhere. This time, though, they are not intended for the National Theatre, but for the Blob library building.

Another stone arrived a few days ago – it was given to the Library by the Czech Esperanto society, and it has a sign in Czech and Esperanto as well. A stone from Rip or from Blanik hill is not missing. But there are also unusual stones coming; a basket of eggs (a reminder eggs were used for building of the Charles Bridge) there are also Stoneage fling or a unique Baroque brick, coming from Berlin print work.

The first stones came to the library in 2006, and they have been coming ever since. Klementinum will so soon have to solve the problem, where to put them, as they already have problems with space. They need Blob especially because lack of space. Source: MF Dnes

The main four authors of the Congress Centre do not agree with the idea of rebuilding the Congress Centre into the new National Library. They state to change the function would be very expensive, and that Milan Knizak has never consulted the idea with them.

Milan Knizak came with the idea a few weeks ago. After a year of useless debates passed from the international contest, which set Kaplicky’s Blob as the winner of the National Library design, he offered an idea of how to solve the situation.

Knizak claims the reconstruction would be simple and inexpensive, according to the original engineers, to reconstruct the Congress Centre in this way would mean the exact opposite. More importantly, the Centre is, according to them, very important for Prague, and for events like the International Monetary Fund meeting there is not many other possibilities of placement.

source: iHned.cz

In the partially adjusted design there is a slight change, Kaplicky announced the little piece of ground which was a problem for the City Hall won’t be used. “Our project team found a new solution, which will able the library realization on Prague Letna, on the place intended for it, and do so without change in the ground plan.” Said Jan Kaplicky in his declaration.

Meanwhile, the other declaration is still waited for – the politicians should simply say, there will be no Blob, because they just don’t like it. The Leader of Czech Anti-monopol Office Pecina repeatedly announced he won’t be the one who looks uncultured and he resist pressure to forbid Blob, when there is no reasonable problem with it.

Knizak, the leader of Czech National Gallery, who is presently asked by a petition signed by 50 000 to resign, came with a new solution – to get around the international contest, by not building a new library, but reconstructing another building. Taking the fact he is a Klaus’ good friend into consideration, this might be very well the end of Blob in Prague.

There was a new proposal of placing the Blob on Vysehrad, about which we didn’t inform because it was clear it won’t work. Pavel Bem was finally against in that case. But he may agree with Knizaks’ proposal of not building a Blob, but placing the very much needed new National Library into the building of the Congress Centre at Vysehrad.

Knizak has many opposers in whatever he does (right now, about 50 000 people signed a petition he should resign on his function of the leader of the National Gallery, but he is strongly in power) but this time he came with a proposal which could kill two birds with one stone; what to to with the congress centre and what to do with the National Library.

The Prague mayor Pavel Bem have arranged a meeting wit Knizak this week, where they should discuss the matter. The manager of the National Library Vlastimil Jezek however sees the matter as a nonsense, because to run the communist-constructed building costs a fortune, and to change it into a library would be too expensive as well.

On one side there is the numerous group of Kaplicky’s Blob fans, led by the director of Library, Vlastimil Jezek. They are opposed by Vaclav Klaus, Pavel Bem and Prague representatives of the ODS.

Hospodarske noviny informed the anti-monopoly office manager Martin Pecina stated “ Everyone would like me to forbid it. But I am not eager to.” last week. But on Monday, he said in an interview for Pravo: “That library will never be there“ openly. He also stated the final word will have Prague representatives, who are ODS, and so they will never support the library”. “But no one will say that to Mr. Kaplicky openly like that. No one wants to look uncultured, so now they wait for me to forbid it, so I would be the one who looks uncultured.

The director of Library Jezek supported Pecina yesterday. “Those who will have the final word are politicians.” He is fed-up by 13 months of debates. “We have waited a year, to find out there are no rational reasons for not building the Blob. The politicians should simply say, they don’t want Blob”

The state and the capital city of Prague is looking for a way, how to prevent Blob library from being build. The main anti-Blob activities can be tracked down to the President Klaus and so the ODS, the pro-Blob site is represented by a large part of the general public and The International Union of Architects which pronounced Kaplicky’s Blob the winner of a regular international contest.

Hospodarske noviny informed the anti-monopoly office manager Martin Pecina stated “Everyone would like me to forbid it. But I am not eager to.” The ministry of culture (now under the KDU-CSL which is in coalition with the ODS) started to create pressure on him after lawyers were not able to prove the international contest was irregular.

The opposers of Kaplicky’s Blob now came with a new strategy – when they weren’t able to degrade the international contest, they now try to prove there shouldn’t have been an international contest in the first place.

The actual practice of the European Union however speaks for the benefit of Kaplicky’s Octopus, as the EU commission have never intervened into the principle of an international architectonic contest. Such contest decided e.g. about the shape of the central building of NATO. Are we going to see an European court proceedings Klaus + his government coalition vs Kaplicky + democratic principles? Probably…

Blob News: after a year of debates which didn’t bring any satisfactory outcomes, after being said there is a new report, fourth in a row, necessary, Kaplicky stated to resign on the project, if there won’t be a decision in a month.

It has been precisely a year, since Kaplicky’s Blob won the international contest of the best library. Since than, Kaplicky went through many debates (by his own words, those debates made him a politician from an architect against his will) which were not able to set, what the course of action will be. It has been a long year for Kaplicky, and tiredom finally shows up – he stated yesterday, that if the National Library commission won’t decide in a month, he is off.

His decision seems logical when we look at the whole picture – President Klaus would rather chain himself to the ground than allow Blob to Prague, and Prague Mayor Pavel Bem and many other important persons from the ODS back Klaus. For Kaplicky, who is a renowned architect that doesn’t need to be gibbeted just for the sake, will be much better to build his internationally famous National Library in Brno, or Edinburgh, where they will treat him with respect.

Jan Kaplicky is an architect who is a matter of many discussions in the Czech Republic nowadays. For many the savior, for many others the bane of Prague Letna, where his environmental Blob was supposed to be build, before Vaclav Klaus stepped in.

Discussions, how the Blob should be changed, moved, forbidden, or even build as it won the international contest, have been taking place for half a year new. But as a matter of fact, other cities like Brno, Bratislava, even Edinburgh would do a lot, to have Blob Library by Kaplicky. And it is the Brno mayor, who invited Kaplicky last week, to plan something for his city.

As MF Dnes informed, the abolished railway station in Brno is to be replaced with a brand new ‘city’. The Mayor Roman Onderka stated: “…there could be a bench or a building by Mr. Architect, which would become the new dominating feature of Brno” He would also like Kaplicky, living in London, to be an exterior advisor for the whole project of Brno becoming a new world architectonical metropolis. Kapilcky commented their meeting as “a very good start.”

On the concert named ‘Chci to na Letny’ (I want it on Letna) featuring dozens of well-known Czech music groups and singers, all sounded like one voice: The Blob library should be build. Their support of Jan Kaplicky and his Octopus could have been seen in Prague Lucerna Music Bar.

The construction is a subject of endless disputes and debates, but it is still not sure whether the City Hall will make it possible to build.

The Sunday concert was organized by the initiators of the petition for Blob support, which was signed by more than 11 thousands experts. It was already handed the deputies of the City Hall.

The International Union of Architects (UIA) doesn’t change it’s decision – the Blob won by legal and proper way. The President of the Union Gaétan Siew sent the director of National Library Vlastimil Jezek a letter, stating: “This is to confirm, UIA accepts the decision of the International Union, and so the results of hte competition.”

The iniciative to examine legality of the competition came from the ‘Ateliér HSH Architekti’ company, which claims the competition was contested.

The National Library Team continues in their debates about Blob.

The group of architects ‘Ateliér HSH architekti’ fight against the course and outcome of the competition, which Blob won. Their 10 month long protest continues – first they turned to anti-monopoly office, when it didn’t help, they started to sue the National Library. They claim the competition was contested. Their design (picture) ended third.

Their activities complicated yesterday meeting of the National Library Team. The director of National Library said the debates were proper, the Prague Mayor Pavel Bem even that the athmosphere was good. Nonetheless, the team didn’t come to the conclusion. The next meeting is prepared on 27th February.

The work of the team of lawyers, who were supposed to examine the contest of the National Library designs, ended yesterday. And it ended in quite a puzzled way – according to the MF Dnes intelligence a half of lawyers consider the international competition and the winning architect Jan Kaplicky contested.

A well informed source said to MF Dnes: “At least five members of the commission are convinced the contest principally broke Czech legal regulations.”

What is the problem? Kaplicky placed the books deposit into the underground of his Octopus. The assignment states, books deposits must not be placed in underground levels. According to the National Library of the CR there was not a problem in changing the conditions, they make reference to meeting criteria of the International Union of Architects (UIA)

The official stance of the National Library team will be revealed after their meeting on 17th January.

The National Library Commission, that wanted new pictures of Blob, got some from the Future System Atelier of Jan Kaplicky. The surprise was, it introduced Blob in Golden Color.

Many argued against the ‘sputum’ color of the Blob. Kaplicky said that the golden color was intended from the beginning (?) and that this is no real change.

Kaplicky previously announced he doesn’t intend to change the height or location of the library, and so was asked for more pictures of the Blob from various places of Prague. They are going to use a ladder truck with a pulled out ladder to the intended height. Kaplicky previously pronounced the worries of The Octopus being too high as allegation, as it is planned to be high as the National Theater.

The Golden color was chosen because “Almost every doorknob in Prague is of golden color.”

The architect Jan Kaplicky announced to introduce changes of the Blob library, but at the end he stood by his old design. And again, he commented the idea of moving the library ‘somewhere else’ as not very wise:

If you find a place in Europe, or in the world, where they have their National library at a periphery, please tell me. I’ll make it easier for you – such a place doesn’t exist. Modern transport and short distances are essential. It is not necessary to talk about moving the building. If the city doesn’t want the library, it won’t have it ¹

The other point, where Kaplicky again demonstrated he has some balls on one hand, and no will to compromise on the other, was the height of the building: “ Compared to the planned stadium at Letna the library design is petite. The height is the same as the height of the National Theater

Kaplicky also said Blob library should be much smaller than Petrin observation tower, and that his design was really at the small side.

Vaclav Havel went to see the debate and described it is as ‘civilized’.

¹ Kaplicky is a renowned architect and his Blob design would be appreciated not just by other Czech cities like Brno, but deputies of three foreign cities have already showed interest as well.

The expert group from The National Heritage institute, who form a part of the National Library team, has requested new pictures of the Prague Octopus from various places around Prague. The pictures will be created by a computer, and from various angles. They need it to consider, whether it damages Prague panorama or not.

The greatest objections came because of possible harms, that could Blob bring to Prague panorama. If the visualizations show the concerns aren’t well founded, it will change the whole situation. The Kaplicky’s library pictures will be computed from twenty places in Prague.

The National Library Team should solve the problems of the new NL construction. They held their first meeting in the residence of the Prague Mayor on Saturday morning. Vlastimil Jezek, National Library manager, have informed: “We have agreed on the sum of questions for the expert commission… the Team should finish their work until the Christmas.”

According to the Prague Mayor Pavel Bem, the possible construction on Prague Letna has five problems – property, municipal plan, adhering to the rules of the International architectonic competition, keeping with The National Institute for Heritage Preservation and construction money.

“There is one main task – to try to move Octopus on some other place. It could me moved on new grounds on Letna, or some other place in Prague.” Pavel Bem stated last week.

Prague council discussed Kaplicky’s Blob yesterday. Few dozens of fans of the Octopus (National Library design by Kapilcky) have gathered in front of the building, where they wanted to hand the petition for support of Blob over to Pavel Bem. There are already three thousands of people signed under it.

When the demonstrants were told about the idea of a committee, formed of more than thirty people, that should decide the fate of the National library, they didn’t sound very happy. However the presidium of the so called ‘National library team’ are eager to debate.

‘National library team’
Pavel Bem – Prague Mayor
Vlastimil Jezek – Director of the National Library
Jan Kaplicky – Author of Blob project
Borek Votava – Manager of Prague City Development Division
Jan Knezinek – Director of Preservation of Monuments Board
Bohdana Stoklasova – National Library

For this presidium works three expert groups architects, preservationists, lawyers. According to Mayor Bem the groups should work for two, three or four months.