Monastery, brewery and a supercomputer. FIT managed to connect the unconnectable

In 2002, when the Faculty of Information Technology was established, it was obvious that the future 2,500 students and their teachers would not fit inside the monastery. The Brno University of Technology had to decide whether to move the faculty to the new campus at pod Palackého vrchem or to stay in the monastery, undergo a demanding reconstruction of the heritage-protected building and try to acquire the former farmyard located on the other side of the street. "I think it was primarily the people from the faculty who have grown to love the monastery, who were most instrumental in the decision to stay at the cadet school. I believe they still don't regret their decision," says Zdeněk Bouša, former Faculty Secretary and Vice-Dean for Strategic Development and Construction.

According to him, the Faculty of Information Technology has one of the most beautiful compounds in Europe. Zdeněk Bouša walked the corridors of today's FIT as a student, Vice-Dean and a Secretary. He also remembers the times when the cadet school looked nothing like it does today and was literally about to be torn down, when the site of today's Pavilion L was a butcher's shop and when there was a coal boiler house on the site of today's lecture halls. When one entire wing of the former monastery was occupied by a mainframe computer and learning took place in the refectory and in the corridors.

When the idea to found a new faculty began to emerge, there was also the question: where to put it? It was clear from calculations and demographic curves that a space for 2,500 students would need to be created. There were two options: the new faculty could stay at Božetěchova only if the land belonging to a former estate located on the opposite side of the road could be acquired from the city. Or, if new construction can be secured, it will move completely to the campus at pod Palackého vrchem. "The idea of reconstruction and completion was eventually supported both by the mayor of Královo Pole and the Brno city hall. It is great that it worked out. I'm convinced that thanks to this decision, we have managed to save the cadet school for future generations," says Zdeněk Bouša.

The reconstruction and completion of the faculty campus was financially very demanding and cost almost CZK 800 million. The Ministry of Finance, but also the Ministry of Culture, the City of Brno and BUT itself contributed to the financing. The faculty has thus acquired a unique campus, which combines a sensitively reconstructed historical compound including a monastery, a château, and an old brewery with new modern buildings.

Architect Vladislav Vrána from ATELIER 2002 is the author of the design, as well as the first two stages of the completion and reconstruction. He invited the architect Aleš Burian from the BURIAN-KŘIVINKA architectural office to collaborate on the overall reconstruction and completion of the compound. "Although we had been putting together plans for the redevelopment since the late 1990s, it wasn't until 2004 that the ground was first broken. In order not to stop teaching at the already existing FIT BUT, we had to build in two stages. First, a new building was built, into which the entire faculty moved for a time, and then the reconstruction of the former Carthusian monastery into a Baroque form continued," recalls Zdeněk Bouša.

There was so much groundwater in the historic cellars of the former estate that the first reports of their existence and what was under the surface had to be provided by divers. Today, the groundwater is being pumped out and used as utility water for flushing and watering. But the work started with the simplest part - demolition. "Some parts were so devastated that they were collapsing on their own. The monastery brewery was in a better condition, although they say that if we gave it a shove using an excavator it would have collapsed too," recalls Zdeněk Bouša. However, it has been renovated for use as a catering and accommodation facility.

Many archaeological finds were made during the reconstruction. For example, a kiln was found, in which bricks for the construction of the Carthusian monastery were fired, or some bones. "Fortunately, they were only horse bones," laughs Zdeněk Bouša. Every valuable find delayed the reconstruction. Most of the finds were made during the reconstruction of the monastery, where, in addition to finds from the periods of the Hussite wars or the Swedish siege, they also managed to save the torso of one of the oldest clockworks in Brno. Today, visitors can find it in the FIT Museum of computer technology.

"We decided at the beginning that the historic part will be used mainly for classrooms, lecture rooms and offices. We then needed to move the heavy computer equipment into the new building. There were those who said it was impossible, but not only was it possible, but it could even be done in a sensitive manner," says Zdeněk Bouša. The building of the Research Centre of Information Technology, which was built in 2014, was thus able to accommodate the technology of the computing cluster and data centre, which serve as the access point for the supercomputer located in Ostrava. At the time, it was one of the most powerful computers in the world. In practice, this meant a huge cooling capacity for a large server room; the excess waste heat is also used for heating at the compound.

"But some of the ideas didn't come to fruition. For example, we had to abandon plans for two floors of underground garages because of the groundwater. One floor had to suffice," says Zdeněk Bouša. On the other hand, he appreciates the fact that it was possible to bring all the utilities into one walk-through utility corridor under the faculty premises. In the event of a failure, this gives repairmen good access to all wires without having to dig them up. It is said that there used to be an underground passage to the Špilberk castle in place of the utility corridor, but who knows...

During his time at FIT, Zdeněk Bouša worked in three different offices and, like the other IT experts, he did not want to leave the historical premises 20 years ago. "I like to walk around the cells or refectory of the former Carthusian monastery and soak up the historical atmosphere," he says. He adds that he is happy that a place was built which is used for teaching but is also open to the public.

"If it wasn't for BUT, I think the compound would continue to deteriorate. I'm glad that this architectural heritage has been preserved for future generations. We have revived this place and once again transformed it into a centre of Královo Pole and a centre of education. It's not only a faculty, but also a place where people can stroll through the gardens, sit at a café or even attend the Night of Churches. The Carthusian monastery can thus continue to serve the same purpose it did in the past, which is education," adds Zdeněk Bouša.