The project originated from winning an open international architectural competition. The Janáček Cultural Centre was to be built on the site of a parking lot on Veselá Street in the center of Brno. In 2002, under the mayor RNDr. Petr Duchoň, the city of Brno announced an international public architectural competition aimed at finding the best design for the Janáček Cultural Centre building, which would include a top-tier concert hall, as well as to complete and close the urban structure of the entire space between Veselá and Besední Streets, which had been significantly altered in the 1960s by the construction of the Hotel International.

The competition conditions required that the building fit into the designated space and blend seamlessly between the Hotel International and the Besední House with the Pražák Palace. It was also required that the new center could be used for more than just concerts and that the halls would have excellent acoustics. Additionally, the construction was to have reasonable investment and operating costs and provide an interesting aesthetic solution. The competition, originally a two-round process, attracted 76 architectural proposals, eight of which advanced to the final.

The jury, consisting of experts in acoustics, architects, and representatives from the city, the State Philharmonic, and the Ministry of Culture, did not award the first prize. The authors of the three proposals that came in second were recommended to further refine their designs.

In addition to our team, recognition was given to the team of John Eisler from New York and the team of Prague architects Břetislav Lukeš and Pavel Kopecký.

After two more rounds of the competition, in 2004, the design by Atelier M1 Architekti was selected for realization because it successfully condensed the space-demanding program of the building into a simple cubic form and, in the remaining space, allowed for the creation of a new public square, which would become the focal point for other significant public buildings in the area (Besední House, Moravian Gallery, Museum of Applied Arts, JAMU).

From 2005 to 2008, several versions of a feasibility study were prepared for the Janáček Cultural Centre, addressing various financing strategies.

In 2009, work began on the documentation for the zoning decision, but in 2010 it was halted due to the inability to acquire the transformer station, which extended into the construction site from its owner, the Hotel International.

In 2011, work on the zoning decision was resumed, and the underground part of the project was reduced to avoid conflict with the transformer station. The construction was divided into two phases to allow for gradual implementation with more modest resources.

From 2015 to 2018, the first phase of construction was completed. During this phase, all technical measures for the underground were addressed, including technical networks, building foundations, shared machinery rooms, repairs to communications, and temporary park landscaping on the surface. The priority of the first phase was to move the cars underground and to cultivate the neglected gap site—transforming what was once a surface parking lot into a public space with park landscaping, a fountain, and a café in a renovated historically significant building.

Currently, in 2024, we are on the verge of beginning the final phase of construction. The second phase (above-ground structure) will include spaces for a multifunctional concert hall with 1,100 seats, as well as production and administrative facilities and a restaurant. Although the construction has taken a long time, this endeavor can be considered an exceptional achievement in the city center. It serves as an exemplary model of a publicly beneficial building that will help complete an unfinished area in the heart of Brno, providing residents with a public space with a café instead of a busy surface parking lot, improving parking capacity in the center, and offering a top-tier concert hall.