Look closely at my western façade. Do you see those four unusual square panels? They may look like small windows, abstract pictures or perhaps patches waiting for a proper coat of paint. But they are much more than decoration! In July 2026, I became a testing ground for four construction materials developed by the European SINCERE project.
Each panel has its own recipe. Some combine ultra-high-performance concrete with amorphous alloy fibres, others with basalt mesh. Two more use an alternative, alkali-activated version of the concrete, again reinforced with either metal fibres or basalt mesh. Four combinations, four little experiments – and one very curious building!
The panels were carefully attached to my existing concrete façade, just beside my windows. They are now exposed to everything Ostrava's weather can throw at them: rain, frost, sunshine, changing temperatures and humidity. A weather station on my roof records the conditions, while researchers monitor how the different materials perform over time. They want to find out which solutions might help buildings like me become more durable and energy-efficient without losing their heritage value.
I must admit, I rather enjoy being a laboratory. Instead of simply standing here and getting older, I am helping researchers test materials that could shape the future of building conservation. And who knows? Perhaps these four little squares will eventually make a big difference to how we look after the buildings of the past!
Photo credit: Anna Šmehilová, Petr Mynarčík
This text is based on the “Talking Buildings” concept (https://talkingbuildings.net/en), carried out as part of the SINCERE project – The second life of modern period architecture: Resilient and adaptive renovation towards net-zero carbon heritage buildings (https://sincere-project.eu/), funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme.
It will soon be almost 30 years since our operation ended. After long debates and disputes, we became a heritage site and an essential part of the panorama of Ostrava. Yet in many ways, we have remained slightly outside the main events. But this is about to change!
Anyone who has traveled through the Czech countryside knows them – tall dark blue cylinders rising high, displaying the iconic logo of the Vítkovice Ironworks, clearly announcing a place associated with agriculture. These are the enameled tower silos and tanks known as "Vítkovice" — symbols of agricultural industry of our countryside.
