Brno wants to build a new district for up to 4000 people by Špitálka

Brno - Brno wants to build a new neighborhood in the unused area of the Brno heating plant along Špitálka Street. In the future, apartments for up to 4,000 people could be created there. This was stated in a press release by Deputy Mayor Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL). Brno organized a competition for the design of the neighborhood, to which 26 proposals were submitted. The winning office is Aulík Fišer architects. From the ideas of the best proposals, Brno will create a study of the broader area, which will serve as the basis for a change in the zoning plan for construction.

The area is located between Špitálka, Cejl, Koliště, and Radlas streets. To the south, it is bordered by the railway line. It has an area of approximately 25 hectares. The new neighborhood is expected to offer apartments, offices, services, as well as facilities for leisure and relaxation. "The competition achieved its goal of bringing solutions for the transformation of the unused part of the industrial area of the heating plant, where a vibrant urban neighborhood with mixed-use development should emerge," said Mayor Markéta Vaňková (ODS). According to her, the plan can serve as an example for the utilization of other brownfields in the city center.

Along with apartments, the planned urban neighborhood is also expected to offer new job opportunities and services. "It will be an attractive location within walking distance of the historic center," noted Hladík.

The city announced the competition for the shape of the neighborhood last fall, and now a professional jury composed of experts has decided. They selected from 26 proposals from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Belgium, Lithuania, Great Britain, Japan, and Singapore. The winning architectural office is Aulík Fišer architects from Prague. "The proposal is ambitious yet realistic. The authors connect the network of urban parks with the Svitava riverbank. The parks then form the main axes along which the construction is organized. At the same time, it creates a variety of public spaces, as well as a dense network of paths for pedestrians and cyclists," stated Michal Sedláček, director of the Office of the Architect of the City of Brno, which organized the competition. According to him, the proposal also sensitively works with the industrial buildings that had to remain standing due to the operation of the heating plant.

In the area of today's heating plants, a new transportation connection should also be established in the future, a city boulevard that will link the north and south of Brno. The boulevard with shops on the ground floor of buildings will serve pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport.