Ostrava invites architects, announced an international competition

Ostrava, which with its 315,000 inhabitants is the third largest city in the Czech Republic, has decided to show Europe that it is an attractive and interesting city for people, possessing an environment of unusual beauty where European history meets an almost futuristic perspective. It applied for the title of European Capital of Culture 2015, progressed to the finals, and simultaneously announced an international public – combined urban planning competition for the design of the revitalization of the Černá louka area in Ostrava, the renewal and transformation of which is the symbolic core of the candidate project. In this context, it invited five world-renowned architectural studios to participate in the competition: OMA/AMO/REM KOOLHAAS (Netherlands), HERZOG&MEURON (Switzerland), BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group, Denmark), FOA (Foreign Office Architects, United Kingdom), and SANAA KAZUYO SEJIMA+RYUE NISHIZAWA (Japan). The competition, which starts on February 1 and ends on May 31, 2010, is undoubtedly a great challenge for our architects and, after a long time, a significant opportunity to compete with foreign contenders.

The area subject to the competition represents a site in an exceptional location, directly adjacent to the historical core and the confluence of the Ostravice and Lučina rivers. The competition design is expected to assess the character of the area, enhance its relationship to the city center, to the river, connect both banks, propose new pedestrian pathways, concentrate existing buildings into a functioning whole, distribute new ones, and thus create an attractive cultural center for the public in Ostrava. It is anticipated that new buildings will be designed based on the results of international architectural competitions, with their construction being carried out gradually in accordance with the city's possibilities.

"The era of heavy industry is ending", says the mayor of the city, Ing. Petr Kajnar, "and the change affects all layers of life in Ostrava. The cultural development of the city plays a key role in the transition to a post-industrial economy. The city, with two universities and many artistic institutions, has a rich cultural past and present. It could further strengthen its culture: improving not only the cultural infrastructure but also access to culture. Ostrava is a city of great opportunities, but it needs change. Černá louka offers, both factually and symbolically, a turning point in the transformation of the city."

The winner of the urban planning competition will be decided by a jury, chaired by the renowned Czech architect Josef Pleskot. The results of the competition will be announced in June 2010. The regularity of the competition was approved by the Czech Chamber of Architects.

More detailed information and competition conditions are available on the website of the Society of Petr Parléř (www.cenapp.cz), which is responsible for organizing the competition.