The demolition of obsolete establishments in the Zlín area of Smurf City will begin in the summer

Zlín - The demolition of outdated establishments in the area known as Smurf City in the Zlín housing estate Jižní Svahy will begin this summer. Tomáš Melzer, spokesman for the Zlín city hall, said today. The small buildings include bars, pubs, and a café. The Vizovice manufacturer of modular systems Koma Modular will, after winning the competition for land use, construct a facility named New Czech.

The company has prepared a project with architects Chybík+Krištof. The building, costing nearly 100 million crowns, will be constructed from a modular system that allows for variability. "We wanted to open the building to the public, so we chose the concept of a through atrium with a heart – a lantern – in the center, which is the dominant feature of the entire building," said the owner of the company, Stanislav Martinec. A multifunctional space will be created, offering services and activities. The modules will serve for gastro operations, and there will be an exhibition and creative part. The square in the middle can serve for various events, such as cinema, concerts, or theater.

"We are pleased with the quality of the winning proposal, which significantly improves the service offerings in the Jižní Svahy area and represents a fundamental qualitative shift for this locality. The concept is inspired by the Manifesto project, which operates for example in Prague, but adds further functionalities. Educational, recreational, and cultural," said Deputy Mayor Pavel Brada (ANO). The condition of the area, consisting mostly of outdated single-story buildings from the 1990s, has long been unsatisfactory, he added.

There are buildings of other owners on city land. The city council has previously approved the termination of rental contracts. Smurf City was rented from 1993 to 2003. "All entities that entered into it knew it was for a period of ten years; there ended up being three times that," Brada previously stated.

Operators sought to maintain their establishments. When the city announced plans for the renovation of the area two years ago, they opposed the termination of rental contracts and the demolition of buildings, formed an association, and wrote a petition in their support. They proposed possible modifications to Smurf City, but could not reach an agreement with the city leadership, and the city council announced the intention to lease the land. Koma Modular was the winner of the competition for land use. They will acquire an area of nearly 5,600 square meters for a twenty-year lease. The second participant in the competition was the Smurf City Zlín association. Operators are expected to leave by the end of May, and demolition will begin during the summer. Koma Modular hopes to start construction in the spring of next year. However, this depends on obtaining a building permit, said Marie Schüller, the company's marketing director, who will oversee the operational aspect of the center.

The company wants to involve local residents and plans to install an info point at the site in the summer where people can also express what activities they would welcome. "The New Czech project will prefer intimate events with specific focuses. Our goal is to create a meeting place, a vibrant place where generations will connect and people with common interests will come together," Schüller stated.