New art exhibit coming to MoD

On Nov. 12, the Museum of Dufferin will open its newest exhibition, “Architecture in Harmony with Nature”. Featuring a selection of projects from award-winning Czech architect Martin Rajniš alongside historic images from the Museum of Dufferin's Archival Collection, this exhibition explores how modern architecture and traditional construction materials can work together to be in harmony
with nature. 

Professor Martin Rajniš is a well-known Czech architect and the leading figure behind a small architecture firm called “Hut Architecktury Martin Rajniš” (HAMR) or “Guild of Architecture” in English. Professor Rajniš has spent the past few decades designing and constructing fantastic structures. He has won many awards throughout his career, including the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2014.

Wooden structures can last for one hundred or more years, making wood a popular choice of building material both historically and today. In 1995, Professor Martin Rajniš and his team began studying, exploring, and testing new ways to use wood in construction. Wood is relatively inexpensive, flexible, and easy to size and connect. Combined with steel details, glass, and modern digital technology, Professor Rajniš and his team create buildings that refer to “natural architecture.” “If we seek a common speech with all people on the planet, if we want contemporary architecture to be accessible and communicable to all, the logical point of departure is based on the principles of nature,” Martin said. “Natural architecture is not the one that is romantic in style or mimicking free forms observed in the natural world but the one that is respecting laws of nature.” 

“Architecture in Harmony with Nature” will be on display in the Silo Gallery at the Museum of Dufferin from November 12, 2022, to January 28, 2023. An opening reception will be held on November 12, 2022, from 1 – 3 pm. Admission will be by donation during the opening reception.