text: From the 1930s, definitely also the ERA cafe. It’s by Josef Kranz – one of my favourite architects of the 20s. It represents purified, raw functionalism, much more functionalist than Fuchs and Wiesner put together. He designed it for a cafe, and there’s still one there after excellent renovations to a form that is quite similar to that from the 30s.
  When we look to the time after the war, we have to include Ingstav by Prof. Ruller. It’s a building on Vídeňská that is green and glass with a dual facade. It may be the only true brutalist structure in Brno – it’s got a brutalist staircase. On the one hand it’s brutalist, while one the other it’s very fragile because it’s external and the entrance is brutalist concrete, but then the light wrap around the building of the glass facade, for the time that’s from it’s incredibly innovative, beautiful, and clever. They realized there’s dirt and noise from the street and if you opened a window directly onto the street, you’d hear a horrible racket. With the dual facade, there’s always controlled circulating air. So there’s fresh air, but not so easily. That’s a great, simple principle that was unique in the Czech Republic at the time and the building is simple beautiful.
  The CHYBÍK+KRIŠTOF architectural studio was founded by university classmates Ondřej and Michal in 2010. Now it sits in the Jalta passage on Dominican Square (Dominikánském náměstí) and has branches in Prague and Bratislava. They lead an international team of 50 and take on projects around the world. Their most distinctive activities include the modular Czech pavilion at EXPO 2015 in Milan, the Lahofer Winery with its wave rising from the ground, and the Advent markets with warming tents on Moravian Square (Moravské náměstí). For the MY DVA showroom, they won the Grand Prix Architektů and one of the prizes at the Czech Architecture Award. They have also been awarded as part of Design Vanguard 2019.	
  The Z at the exhibition centre. It has an interesting structure from Prof. Lederer. The beautiful steel structure was in its time one of the biggest large-span structures. Given that it’s a large-span structure, it’s unbelievably subtle.
  Then we get to the 90s. One interesting feat is the gasworks by the A PLUS studio. It’s one of only a few high-tech sites, maybe the only one in Brno. It’s definitely good to have a look. It may be slightly outside the centre, but if you go there, you’ll also see the developing neighbourhood of the Brno Bronx, which is currently undergoing rapid changes.