The MUZOOS project proposes the transformation of the former Cultural Centre in Ústí into a documentation and exhibition centre dedicated to the vanished villages of the Ore Mountains. Rather than replacing the existing structure, the project embraces adaptive reuse, allowing the building to become a contemporary public institution while preserving its architectural identity.

Originally designed by Mr. and Mrs. Lách in 1956 and completed in 1964, the building had gradually lost much of its spatial clarity through decades of unsympathetic additions and temporary interventions. Layers of improvised signage, advertising, technical installations, surface coverings, and obsolete furnishings had obscured the original architecture.

The design begins by removing these accumulated elements, revealing the building's inherent qualities and allowing its original spatial logic to re-emerge. Instead of imposing a radically new architectural language, the intervention seeks to establish a respectful dialogue between the existing structure and contemporary requirements.

The programme introduces exhibition spaces, documentation facilities, educational areas, community functions, and a café, creating a vibrant cultural destination for both residents and visitors. Accessibility and functionality are improved through carefully integrated technical upgrades, including the adaptation of the basement, activation of the attic, and the addition of an elevator.

Externally, the proposal restores the building's calm architectural expression while introducing subtle contemporary interventions. The landscape is reimagined as an extension of the exhibition experience, incorporating crystalline pavilion-like structures inspired by geological formations and fragments of the disappeared villages. These installations become places for interpretation, gathering, and reflection.

Throughout the project, the design philosophy remains deliberately restrained. Rather than competing with the original architecture, new elements are conceived as precise, minimal interventions that clarify the building's character and reinforce its cultural significance. The result is a renewed public building that respects its past while providing a flexible and meaningful space for future generations.