Pavilion A was the most striking building of the first stage in the construction of the exhibition centre on the occasion of the Exhibition of Contemporary Culture in 1928. The origination of the Palace of Commerce and Industry and its generous space arched with a parabolic reinforced-concrete structure enabled, due to glass sections and natural light, presentations of monumental exhibition compositions. Yet the manner of exhibiting changed over the years; apart from a need for year-round heating there were also changes in exhibition strategies using artificial light. Consequently, the original potential of the pavilion is no longer used to the full.
The A3 building with administration facilities, an inner atrium and exhibitors’ club was successfully completed in 1976, designed by architects Jasník and Hotárek. Its curved facade with a regular grid of windows elegantly links the two wings of Pavilion A.
In the early 1980s the building underwent a major reconstruction during which the infrastructure networks, collectors, galleries and heating aggregates were installed and the facade was insulated. The rotunda was reconstructed as well; it was provided with a lecture theatre and the building was adapted for congresses. In the 1990s the pavilion was connected with Pavilion C by roofed passages.