FUTUREUM. From Black Past to Green Futur. Let's Create the Future Together.
FUTUREUM is a green, open and sustainable platform within a revitalised block of a former coal tippler and grinding mill situated at DOV, a former industrial zone and national cultural heritage site turned into a knowledge cluster. FUTUREUM is an inclusive, shared space for experiments and creatives to celebrate the hard work of coal miners and steel producers of the past and present the visions of future work and life. FUTUREUM brings added aesthetic value and reconnects people and generations.
Regional
Czechia
Moravian - Silesian Region
Ostrava
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Yes
ERDF : European Regional Development Fund
I. Project name: Revitalisation of the coal tippler and grinding plant in the Dolní oblast Vítkovice area
Integrated Regional Operational Programme 2014–2020, project start date: 9 Oct 2017, project end date: 31 Dec 2022
Specific objective 3.1: Streamline the presentation and enhance the conservation and development of cultural heritage
Call 48: Streamline the presentation and enhance the conservation and development of cultural heritage – Integrated tools – ITI
II. Project name: Green Heritage - innovative protection and use of National Cultural Monument
Integrated Regional Operational Programme 2014–2020, project start date: 24 Sept 2021, project end date: ongoing
Specific objective 3.1: Streamline the presentation and enhance the conservation and development of cultural heritage
Call 24: Streamline the presentation and enhance the conservation and development of cultural heritage – Integrated tools – ITI
No
Yes
2022-12-31
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): BeePartner a.s. Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: David Last name of representative: Sventek Gender: Male Nationality: Czechia Function: CEO Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: nám. Svobody 527 Town: Třinec Lybžice Postal code: 739 61 Country: Czechia Direct Tel:+420 739 204 700 E-mail:sventek@beepartner.cz Website:https://beepartner.cz/en/
Name of the organisation(s): SOBIC - Smart & Open Base for Innovations in European Cities and Regions, z.ú. Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Daniel Last name of representative: Konczyna Gender: Male Nationality: Czechia Function: Director Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: nám. Svobody 527 Town: Třinec Lybžice Postal code: 739 61 Country: Czechia Direct Tel:+420 725 743 536 E-mail:konczyna@sobic.cz Website:https://sobic.cz/en/
Regaining a sense of belonging
Strand A: New European Bauhaus Champions.
FUTUREUM: Learn from the Black Past to Develop the Green Art of the Future.
FUTUREUM is the essence of what one can imagine when speaking about the values of the New European Bauhaus. The ruins of a former tippler & coal mill were revitalised and listed as a heritage site that not only recalls the past, but also fascinates with its design; it is a space where people can meet and interact as well as an innovation, experimentation and creativity lab. The partners‘ initial idea was to save more parts of the industrial complex located in Dolní oblast Vítkovice (DOV), a district of Ostrava – a city amidst a structurally affected region. Cultural Heritage in Action registers the zone as one inspiring revitalisation of heritage; it is also one of this country‘s most visited cultural sights. Collaborating and sharing the basic scientific principles, creative approach and desire to innovate helped to set up a very special space for everyone, backed by the aim to protect and preserve the site sustainably. Thinkers and creators are invited to co-work here on green, responsible solutions for our world. FUTUREUM provides an open platform for dynamic, circularity-driven exhibits, offering themes touching on the future of nature, technology and, especially, humanity. Work on extraordinary exhibitions, presentations and interventions is in progress, challenging people to take part in reflecting on the contemporary world. The unique architecture, clear design, featured works of art and surrounding post-mining heritage create the perfect mix for working hubs. As it supplies its guests a great batch of creativity, inspiration and relaxation, the site has been brought back to the communities. FUTUREUM believes that the future and the happiness of humankind, both consist in protecting natural resources and using technology wisely, which makes it a partner for sharing ideas and creating the Future together.
Post-mining
Low-carbon
Future-focused
Creative
Together
Our project offers the first-ever ambitious sustainable revitalisation of a national cultural monument in the Czech Republic. It shows how it is possible to approach the sustainable preservation of listed properties and add new aesthetic values to the sites. The approach emphasized the preservation of genuine historic structures and the application of technologies that reduce the energy consumption of the revitalised property to enable its conservation and use for the benefit of communities. The conservation of the monument is designed to reduce the carbon footprint and to develop and apply a long-term sustainable solution to a particular monument. In addition to the application of renewable energy sources such as a photovoltaic power plant and heat pump, we also strive for sustainability through SMART facility management, where we work with a digital twin. The smart control of the microclimatic parameters of the property increases the sustainability of the monument. In addition to reducing heat losses and gains, solutions such as contact insulation systems or window and door fillings with increased thermal resistance were also applied. The use of energy-saving LED lighting units is a standard part of the design. The framework allows the facility to be zoned into different levels of thermal comfort, contributing to energy savings and reducing the carbon footprint. The structure has no artificial air conditioning system and uses natural design characteristics. The combination of these hardware and software measures significantly increases the user experience and, simultaneously, the sustainability of the community open infrastructure. This way FUTURUM respects the recommendations of the European Cultural Heritage Green Paper and Strengthening Cultural Heritage Resilience for Climate Change documents.
The properties reflect the tectonics of the functionalist principle in architecture and enabled a highly effective, aesthetic transformation to a new function, where the initial technical layout, including technological openings, offered an extremely aesthetically strong range of interior use options through transformation. The interiors allow users to experience not only the illuminated industrial space but also to make unique visual contact with the surrounding industrial area, greenery and the city. The emphasis on the ‘spirit of the place’ is reflected in the selection of architects, artists, creatives and designers associated with the region. By thinking through every detail with a UX approach, this unique space combines industrial architecture with sustainable, inclusive solutions for the future with an emphasis on human well-being. There are many aesthetically intense niches in the facility that invite reflection and calming down or inspire creative work. Part of the property is FUTUREmuseum – an experimental, dynamic exhibit allowing us to communicate a range of topics that may be crucial for shaping our future. Visitors are presented with global megatrends, as well as other futurological concepts as tools to track trends. The exhibit is split into three basic levels – nature, technology and, found on the top floor, the topic of man. It is here that not only the results but also the creative process will be presented in a unique open laboratory. Regular exhibition activity is managed by SOBIC – Lab of the Future; this NGO aims at combining art and technology as it searches for innovation and competencies for the 21st century. It plans to present, within the Sustainable Art for the Future series, prominent artists, focusing on sustainability and creativity as the key themes of the future, e.g. through the current exhibition featuring internationally respected Čestmír Suška and reflecting how circularity (reuse of waste) combines with fine arts.
The concept is unique in that, although it is an enormously protected cultural monument, where it is not common to achieve barrier-free accessibility, the project has managed to make a substantial part of the monument accessible for people with special needs. The remaining inaccessible spaces are open to these people via AR, through which they can get a more comprehensive idea of, for example, the basement areas of the facility and the grinding plant. The themes presented in the dynamic exhibit of the future are open-ended, asking questions rather than offering answers, allowing visitors to actively participate in thinking about our society and technologies, as well as the nature that surrounds us. The concept is thus open to everybody. It denies any gender, racial or other stereotypes. As well, the design of the services offered disclaims any discrimination (e.g. unisex toilets etc.). Within the exhibition dedicated to humanity, there is an open workspace for creative work reserved for inspiring creators from any field. The project reflects the social composition and education of the population in the region and tries to motivate (similar to other entities in the DOV area, e.g. the craft incubator Fajna dílna) and involve them in FUTUREUM’s activities.
The exhibition policy respects the standards of economic, territorial, temporal and physical accessibility. Working with a diverse portfolio of communities, it also reaches out to young talent, whether emerging artists, creators, designers or other creatives who contribute to expanding the concept and building its identity. The principle of creative learning, which promotes the skills and abilities of disadvantaged pupils and students, will be represented in the content. SOBIC (NGO) participates on the content. The Lab of the Future presents the principle of engaging innovative creatives from all the covered fields, including artists, while making the facilities available for the activities.
The project as such is closely related to the development of the creative community in the Dolní oblast Vítkovice area of the City of Ostrava. The creative cluster of various businesses which has been gradually established here since 2015 is expanding to include more entities and aims to create a space for the development of creativity and new competencies needed for the 21st century. Every year, the Dolní oblast Vítkovice area comes alive with Colours of Ostrava, a multi-genre festival which brings together people across regions, social groups and interests through music and atmosphere. Consequently, the newly created space is another interesting stop within the festival, freely accessible and providing an attractive programme and inviting participants to interesting discussions.
While the first review (attached) reflected on the first exhibition open to the public very positively, more ways exist for visitors to engage. As the premises can be used for events of various kinds, such as Expats&Locals Together – planned for the summer 2023, it will see a very special exhibition (including workshops and colloquia) showing how 10 expats and 10 local entrepreneurs and artists can link technology, art and business.
Plans include exhibitions such as Women in Art or Wildlife featuring a community of artists and how they can respond to current environmental issues, projects of creative businesses, e-sports activities, cooperation with the Academy for Creative Education, a conference on energy communities targeted at civil society and energy experts, a meeting of experts as part of the DG REFORM tender focused on just transition in Czech coal regions and, last but not least, cooperation in the Ostrava Museum Night (on 20 May 2023) with an activity addressing recycling efforts: No Throwing Away! Create – Transform – Use – Experiment!
FUTUREUM would not have been possible to complete without the help of a number of stakeholders. The financing of the project was made possible by the EU’s ITI IROP mechanism through the City Of Ostrava. In terms of content, Silesian University – Institute of Historical Sciences and the University of Ostrava participated in FUTUREUM through SMART X – Long-term intersectoral cooperation for ITI (SMART technologies for improving the quality of life in cities and regions, project ID: CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/17_049/0008452). Creative concepts were brought in by the Moravian-Silesian Creative Academy or České priority – an association which conducted research in megatrends. The results of both the SMART X and the České priority projects are reflected in the exhibition outputs. The exhibition was under development with the involvement of local creative studios. The grant from the Moravian-Silesian Region made the first exhibition in FUTUREUM possible; SOBIC, a non-profit representing civil society, was the grant beneficiary.
Involvement of the academic sector was also necessary for the first stage of project planning. The University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings (UCEEB) of CTU Prague participated in the co-development of technical solutions for the sustainability of the property, which were made possible thanks to each of the partners involved, whether innovative companies or solution providers. MUSEum+, an organisation controlled and co-funded by the state (OCCS), is also involved in the operation; founded by the Ministry of Culture, this OCCS of a new type made it possible to implement and test many new innovative approaches for the future that all the partners are bringing to the facility. Each interaction with a different type of audience (e.g. members of the European Economic and Social Committee visited the site in October 2022) allows, thanks to the dynamic concept, to gradually incorporate the comments, suggestions and inspirations that come from stakeholders.
The property is designed as a test bed. Many partners from different disciplines were involved throughout the process (including outlining the idea and design), reflecting their experience in transforming museums and revitalising listed sites through the latest technologies. This makes FUTUREUM a meeting point of many fields, including, in particular, creative industries. In the beginning there was an effort to save a listed site in a sustainable way, which needed knowledge and procedures applied in site conservation and restoration. Know-how from facility management and museology, and, especially, knowledge of sustainability and carbon footprint reduction principles, all were essential for the site to be managed sustainably. Sustainability experts helped bring new elements to rethink the architecture and operation of the building as well as the project design. From the very beginning, the solutions were intended to become the basic identity of the property and its operations, which translates into other fields. The invited restorers and museologists, while contributing to the above, also helped to design the operational solutions and prepare the concept of sustainable exhibits and displays. As part of creating dynamic exhibits, an application was developed with IT specialists, which makes it possible to view the premises in AR or store the content you get inside the premises to get back to it elsewhere and at other times. To ensure the accessibility of the property and its subsequent management, specialists also became involved with proposals for smart management of individual technologies indoors. Creative people – whether museum professionals, architects, designers, IT specialists or marketing souls – were successful in delivering a special example of how to revitalise a facility that works well, looks nice, is environmentally friendly, sustainable and accessible without limitations, promoting well-being of the local community.
Based on the project to save and revitalise the former coal tippler and grinding mill – a national listed monument, infrastructure has been set up, which adds to the patchwork of the facilities already in use in the DOV area as it provides a space for education and creativity in the premises of the former plant, reviving this historical industrial area in a new manner. The method used for redesigning the site preserves the character of the tipple and the plant, making it possible to have a clear picture of the history of the building and the technology of coal flow and energy generation as well as offer visitors a sightseeing route, for example, which presents the history of another part of the revitalised national cultural monument in the DOV area; this will not only provide a symbolic reminder of the history of the premises, but – with the new exhibits and their educational potential – present Knowledge as the new raw material of the 21st century. The historical context and futuristic concepts presented along the trail help pupils and students, for example, to take standpoints on their future career direction and make them think about the changes in the contemporary world. Just as coal energy gave rise to our 20th century society, our thoughts, ideas, dreams and skills are the energy for the 21st century. Entrepreneurs, innovators and inventors are offered a place to inspire their future ventures and work through the potential of newly presented topics and concepts that build on the transfer of the most innovative ideas. The revitalised premises will also make the whole complex more attractive and create additional services in tourism and cultural management. People interested in future life or technical monuments, as well as enthusiasts and former employees of the ironworks and the mine, all are offered, in particular, repaired historical buildings linked with the city’s industrial history and even with former jobs of the local people.
The innovation of the project lies in the removal of several barriers, both physical and mental. First of all, the barrier of dilapidated and hazardous, in terms of safety, facilities of the tippler and the plant, located in the area of the revitalised parts of the NCM, the Hlubina mine and the blast furnace zone, was eliminated. The main effect is to save the monument and integrate it into the daily life of the community. The concept as such was set up to be sustainable, with a low carbon footprint, causing no load to the environment. It is one of the few national cultural monuments that have been revitalised in the Czech Republic in such a context. The monument was returned to the public through the saving efforts. The revitalisation also draws on the experience with similar redesign projects regarding the surrounding buildings in the complex and rethinks the initially inefficient solution as more energy sustainable. This presents a major turnaround from the initial conservative practice of the National Heritage Institute. What makes it unique is the way it is used. Within FUTUREUM we are returning to the root concept of the earliest museums, which were built as science centres and oriented toward the present and the future. We are the first museum of the future in the Czech Republic. Dynamic exhibits based on the circular principle is an innovative concept: Exhibits based on a transformation of the concept and built to be repeatedly and continuously innovated without increasing the carbon footprint. New technologies were used to an increased extent as part of dynamic exhibits, but also in the design of the building. The property was modelled as a simplified digital twin model for smart facility management is used and new technologies (AR/AI) are also used as elements to make the content of the exhibits more accessible. We also try to present the latest trends in how we manage the surrounding land, a brownfield through a unique technology of biochar sourced from.
The project is intended as a demonstration activity. It creates, tests and tries to demonstrate on new principles that we can do things that were never done before in the Czech Republic: Saving a heritage site that is sustainable and serves the public while offering new content and innovative use – which should be the example to follow for any heritage owner. The property owner’s approach constitutes a recurring principle. With the acquired knowledge and interest in the development of the Moravian-Silesian Region and the DOV area, BeePartner Company wants to be active directly in preserving and managing cultural heritage. It sees the potential to diversify and develop its activities. It sees the preservation of cultural heritage as part of its social responsibility – to restore pride and awareness of the region’s heritage, and to develop public activities aimed at preserving historical heritage for future generations. It believes that the project will help (in a good sense) to transform the Ostrava agglomeration from an area based on heavy industry to a region based on a knowledge-based economy in which education, services and industry with higher added value play a role. Enthusiasm from having revived a heritage site is a call to others, both private and public sectors, to dare not to be afraid of big, seemingly impossible to handle projects and to try to build new, green, creative infrastructure for all of us based on the principles of sustainability, circularity and design thinking.
The philosophy behind this approach is comprehensive protection of the heritage site by creating sustainable conservation of the property and the belief that listed sites can, in addition to being lent their ‘second life’, contribute to reducing the carbon footprint as well and thus support the objectives of the European Green Deal. Experts as well as students are offered examples of good practice and training courses; the unique premises are also a great meeting point.
1. Protecting cultural heritage from adverse effects of climate change
2. Greening of cultural and creative sectors
3. Promoting more pro-environmental behaviours and new green business models
4. Project methodology, involvement of stakeholders and experts.
Description of particular solutions:
- Introduction of smart facility management (use of a simple digital twin)
- Digital twin model
- The use of electricity generated from photovoltaic panels to power water pumps and condensing dehumidification units, and thermal energy from deep wells for drying basement premises
- Application of contact insulation contact systems / window and door fillings with increased thermal resistance, of course the use of energy-saving led lighting sources
- Using AR and AI in the preparation of content for exhibits
- Collaboration with creatives in the development of all (including technical) concepts
- Introduction of a circular dynamic exhibit system
- Creating a community of artists, curators & entrepreneurs in the creative industries
While we can see that the application of some technologies can seem to be weird, but in these cases, such as solar panels, we are strict about maintaining the possibility of reverse things, i.e. the ability to remove the technology at any time in the future without damaging the monument.
The concept is based on sustainable materials and reducing the carbon footprint of transport. It is also reflected in the content of the exhibits as educational content and an incentive to such behaviour for the whole society. In addition, the original objects from the technical premises were reused; this way old chests and cabinets were turned into showcases for exhibit installations. Design thinking and collaboration with curators, creatives and artists, working with the local community and expats, all creates unique experiences linked to new knowledge, the value of new design and offers a place for well-being in the middle of an industrial area.
Protecting cultural heritage from adverse effects of climate change:
• Energy management - e.g. supporting the construction and renovation of cultural infrastructure and historic buildings using principles aimed at reducing their energy consumption. Currently, only the basic methodology for assessing the energy efficiency of (new) buildings is used in construction or renovation, but there is no systematic effort to look for opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint.
• Managing other resources and promoting the sustainable use of renewable resources
• Use of renewable energy sources - especially in specific cases of use of cultural monuments that cannot be made more energy efficient by using standard insulation systems and measures. In such cases, it is advisable to primarily use energy from renewable sources to achieve carbon neutrality without the risk of compromising the aesthetic or functional nature of the monument.
• Digitisation - where the new objectives should include a drive to maximise the reduction of energy consumption and the introduction of low-carbon digitisation practices
• Circularity - represents an exceptional opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint, but its implementation has been random thus far.
Greening of cultural and creative sectors: Reduce the environmental impact of the cultural and creative sector by promoting the adaptive reuse and sensitive retrofitting of historical buildings to help conserve energy and cut down emissions, reducing the carbon footprint of cultural institutions, cultural events and practices and other creative activities.
Promoting more pro-environmental behaviours and new green business models: Cultural and creative sectors can help promote more pro-environmental behaviours and push the frontier on new green business models and approaches, e.g. the creative reuse of properties and goods or supporting the expansion of the circular economy.
