“Our requirements were high – the design of a charity shop where the goods sold are constantly changing. We wanted the interior to accommodate a lot of displayed items of all kinds, to be in line with the principles of sustainability and to be durable, i.e. to withstand the traffic of several thousand visitors per month for several years. It made sense to set such a challenge specifically for students, so that the demanding task would move them forward and direct them towards an interest in recycled materials,” said Helena Továrková, director of the Veronica Foundation.

This challenge from the Veronica Foundation was accepted by students from the Matter Matters studio at the FA BUT under the leadership of architects Barbora Krejčová and Martin Doležel. “At the beginning, it all sounded quite ambitious – design and build a store. Thanks to the work of students in school workshops and craftsmen and volunteers on the construction site, the plan became a reality. The result is very convincing and worth a visit,” said Martin Doležel, head of the studio.

Recycled, donated and leftover materials were used during the month-long renovation – for example, recycled plastic boards or recycled concrete elements. “A donation from Kronospan is essential for us, MDF boards made of recycled wood using leftovers from old furniture, from which the shelves, islands and part of the counter are made. The students used the recycled plastic board on the sales counter, and they shaped recycled concrete from Red-beton into a torso that will attract attention right opposite the entrance,” listed Helena Továrková.

“When the goal is not only an architectural study, but also its implementation, it is difficult to combine limited teaching time with the installation itself. This year, students devoted a lot of their energy to the production of interior elements, and many volunteers also got involved – both from the faculty and the Veronica Foundation,” commented Barbora Krejčová, head of the studio from the Faculty of Architecture of BUT.

“An opera singer, the owner of a yoga studio, and the director of a museum volunteered on the construction site,” added Továrková.

The students first visited several manufacturers of recycled building products and selected suitable samples. Then they had to test the workability and strength of the elements used themselves. Finally, they constructed and assembled the interior, and the store was created right under their hands.

“It was an important experience for us students. We were able to touch the craft, try out communication with suppliers, we got an idea of ??the materials, their availability and the time required for the entire implementation. This will be useful for our own practice,” thinks student Andrea Snopková.

“In the future, feedback will also be important for us, which we can monitor during the subsequent use and operation of the store,” added another student, Veronika Pečeňová.

The fact that such studios make sense is also evidenced by the fact that the studio project for the Veronica Foundation, subtitled Matter Matters, won one of the Bohuslav Fuchs awards, organized by the SOFA student association at the Faculty of Arts, BUT.

Photo: Veronica Foundation

About Veronica Foundation

The store helps ecological projects in South Moravia

In addition to the store at Pekařská 38, the Veronica Foundation in Brno also operates another store at Palackého třída 25. People donate unused clothes, shoes, books and other household items to the stores, and the proceeds from the sales go to grants for local ecological projects, mainly in Moravia. Since 2008, the foundation has saved and brought back to life over half a million items, raising almost eight and a half million crowns for charitable purposes. Specifically, the store on Pekařská Street returns about 25 thousand items to circulation every year and brings up to 300,000 crowns to ecological projects throughout Moravia.

“Last year in Brno we supported community nature gardens in Lesná and Kohoutovice, money from foundation shops also helped in the care of greenery in Boskovice or in the planting and care of fruit trees in Hrušky and Mikulčice. The beautiful new store, in line with our ecological values, will certainly attract even more shoppers and I believe that this will increase donations and thus money for nature and environmental protection in our region,” added Helena Tóvárková.

Helena Tóvárková, Veronica Foundation, helena.tovarkova@veronica.cz, tel. 601 377 409

Barbora Krejčová, Faculty of Architecture, BUT, krejcova@vutbr.cz, tel. 777 193 021