SINCERE Project - The Ostrava pilot

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The Ostrava pilot

The pilot site

The Ostrava pilot concerns the original staff building of the MUSEum+ project, which will be converted into an education center..
The installion of four demonstration panels on the building's western façade took place in June 2026.
The pilot site

SINCERE's innovative materials will be evaluated in terms of impact and performance.
The pilot poster

This is the poster that will be installed on the fence just below the pilot buildings. You can download the pdf version.
The web plog at MUSEum+

The Ostrava pilot is using SINCERE's #TalkingBuildings methodology in the blog of the Blast Furnances 4 & 6

Overview

MUSEum+ is a museum under development in the city of Ostrava, once a small town that was transformed “overnight” into an industrial metropolis, The blast furnaces shall represent the positive and darker sides of these changes, permitting staff and visitors the chance to consider how the future may unfold.

MUSEum+ is a state contributory organisation established in 2021 by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. Its task is to revitalise the blast furnaces 4 and 6 and the casting hall (brownfield) in the Lower Vítkovice area in Ostrava and transform them into a new function - an innovative museum while respecting the heritage value of the building. Plans include the creation of an exhibition space, a library and study room, a children's museum, a CCI use area, a gastro zone, a depository and repository, restoration studios, etc. The SINCERE pilot building is the original staff building, constructed in 1983. It is planned to be converted into an education centre within the emerging museum.

The specific pilot provides a unique chance to demonstrate the materials (structural and thermal retrofitting mortars) and technologies (BIPVs) developed within SINCERE, since the structure is located in far northern land, with significantly lower average temperatures around the year compared to the other demos that are extended around the Mediterranean. H-BIM/H-DT tools will also provide an insight on the efficiency of the restoration materials exposed to different environmental conditions (temperature, solar radiation, humidity etc.) next to the other three pilots. Moreover, the rehabilitation of the cultural monument with sustainable materials and methods, combined with its new use, of cultural and educational nature, encompasses a symbolism, which highlights the transition from a structure previously belonging to a plant with increased negative environmental impact, to a considerably eco- friendly, greener building with cultural and educational qualities.

Applied innovations

In June 2026, four demonstration panels were installed on the building's western façade to test different material solutions. Panel 1 incorporates ultra-high-performance concrete with amorphous alloy fibers, Panel 2 uses ultra-high-performance concrete with basalt mesh, Panel 3 consists of alkali-activated ultra-high-performance concrete with amorphous alloy fibers and Panel 4 is made of alkali-activated ultra-high-performance concrete incorporating basalt mesh.

Measurements

The roof is equipped with a meteorological station that continuously monitors local microclimatic data, including wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure.

Publications

> Press release - MUSEum+ is the new owner of Blust Furnaces 4 & 6

Community engagement

Ostrava encounter 2024

SINCERE experts met with local stakeholders (National Heritage Institute, Heritage Conservation Department) and participated in a guided visit and in-depth exchanges on the SINCERE installation on the demo site in terms of performance, aesthetics, and legal aspects. It was a very important meeting in order to gain a good understanding of the limitations and potential of the demo site and sketched a realistic plan for the implementation of the pilot.

Heritage in Dialogue 2024

During the 2024 European Heritage Days, the Heritage in Dialogue event was held online, giving voice to the buildings within the SINCERE project as well as to several other buildings. As part of the event, a dialogue took place between the Ostrava pilot and the Rhodos pilot.

The success of the event encouraged the SINCERE researches to consider the original concept of creating a single platform for collecting such stories. Instead, the idea of building impersonation was expanded into a comprehensive citizen science methodology. A dedicated web page, Talking Buildings, was therefore developed to provide guidelines and examples of how citizens can be engaged in this inspiring and playful activity.

SINCERE Workshop 2026

In April 2026, a two-day workshop focusing on the innovations developed within the SINCERE project was held in Ostrava.

The programme combined presentations by Czech and international experts with case studies, discussions, and presentations of the materials developed within the SINCERE project. A key part of the workshop was exchange of views on finding a balance between heritage conservation principles and the practical requirements of building renovation. The discussion also addressed current approaches to the adaptive reuse of 20th-century heritage, its architectural and heritage values, sustainablity, and the application of innovative materials in conservation and renovation. The workshop brought together both experts and non-experts, students and professionals from the fields of architecture, civil engineering, heritage consertvation and art history.

MUSEum+ blog

Throughout the project, a blog is being developed based on the Talking Buildings concept, allowing the buildings to tell its own story in its own voice.