Developer began the first demolitions in the area of the Brno Zbrojovka

Brno - The developer CPI has already begun the first demolition and cleanup work in the area of the former Brno Zbrojovka. The first high-rise building to be utilized will be the former tool shop, which will house offices. The revitalization of this one building alone will cost about half a billion crowns, said Ladislav Všetečka, project manager and coordinator of the multifunctional project New Zbrojovka Brno, to ČTK today. According to him, the developer will renovate the entire area gradually. It may take up to 15 years.

In the area of the Brno Zbrojovka, where weapons have been produced for nearly a hundred years, but also where other engineering production took place, tenants are slowly leaving. The owner, CPI, is looking for uses for individual buildings. However, many of them will also be demolished, including bunkers, for example. So far, builders have removed some smaller structures that were at risk of collapsing. They will continue with further demolitions.

They are also clearing the interior of the former tool shop, which is a nine-story building near the Židenice train station. Offices will be located here, and according to Všetečka, about 3,000 people will find work here.

The developer is clearing the building and wants to expose it down to its concrete skeleton. Renovation into a new administrative building will begin in the spring, noted Všetečka. According to him, the office building will likely be structurally completed by spring 2019, with new tenants expected to move in during the fall of the same year.

One of the issues the owner must address is the questions of changes to the zoning plan and access roads. CPI wants to reopen the northern entrance by the tool shop and also build a road along the former railway siding. It will also be possible to access the extensive area through the main gate.

A total of about 20 new buildings are expected to emerge, some as new constructions and others through the revitalization of the old ones. Besides offices, the new district will also have apartments, service buildings, but some production will also remain partially. "We have divided the area into six zones. Not everything can be done immediately; we need changes to the zoning plan," said Všetečka, adding that CPI will announce public competitions for individual parts. Some plans may still change according to the real estate market development.

The area is one of the largest brownfield sites in Brno. It covers more than 20 hectares and has over 100 buildings of various ages.