Asental Group repaired the former headquarters of OKD for 100 million CZK

Ostrava - The company Asental Business Center from the Asental Group has reconstructed the Alfa building from the ABC office complex in the center of Ostrava for approximately 100 million crowns. The building, which the company presented today after renovation, was formerly known as the long-time headquarters of the mining company OKD.

The real estate group Asental Group, owned by entrepreneur Zdeněk Bakala, engages in property management and the preparation of development projects. Bakala was previously a co-owner of OKD, which has been in bankruptcy since last May.

"Currently, we offer about 4,300 square meters of net office space here; the building has a total of about 6,500 square meters," said Radmila Kuzicová, Executive Director of Asental Group. According to her, about a third of the newly reconstructed spaces are already rented out or in negotiations with future tenants. Among them are an Austrian financial company and a significant e-shop. Part Beta is already completely full.

The Alfa building was constructed between 1938 and 1940 according to a design by Karel Kotas for the General Directorate of the Northern Railway, and it has been a cultural monument since 2007. OKD vacated it in 2013. Representatives of Asental emphasized that during the reconstruction, they aimed to preserve all historical elements and adhere to the requirements of heritage conservationists. They were able to enlarge some offices by removing partition walls, while they had to preserve the majority of floors and valuable doors, which they only moved a few meters. The mosaic in the mezzanine and the paternoster lift, one of the last in Ostrava, were also preserved. Thus, the building has approached its original form from the 1930s.

Kuzicová stated that during the renovation, the company was limited by the hallways, which are significantly wider compared to more efficiently built modern office buildings. "We had to maintain the original character of the building, which we ultimately see as an advantage because we offer here essentially very luxurious spaces suitable for private bankers, insurance offices, law firms, and so on. The types of spaces correspond to that," said the director. According to her, the concept of the building combines small offices for companies that need representative spaces in the city center with rentals for larger tenants, who occupy two whole floors.

The real estate group Asental Group manages, among other things, former properties of OKD that were previously owned by the companies RPG RE Commercial and RPG RE Land. The group states on its website that it owns over 45 million square meters of land, water areas, meadows, and forests, as well as nearly 200,000 square meters of office space and accommodation facilities. Asental Group primarily operates in the Moravian-Silesian Region but also has properties and activities in Prague and the Kladno region.