Liberec will seek more designers for the construction of apartments at Papírové náměstí

re:architects: Winning proposal of the competitive dialogue "Liberec – Papírové náměstí", 2022

Liberec – Liberec will start project preparation for the construction of more than 200 apartments on city-owned land in the lower center, in an area referred to as Papírové náměstí. Deputy Mayor Jiří Janďourek (Mayors for the Liberec Region) told ČTK that due to the diversity of the construction, the city wants to split the contracts for creating studies and project documentation among multiple designers.

"In order for the neighborhood to be richer in terms of expression and architecture on our behalf, on behalf of the city houses," added the deputy.

The city plans to build apartment buildings on Lucemburská Street, between Vrabčí and Na Svahu streets and near the former Linser foundry, which it began converting into a cultural and creative center at the end of August for more than 40 million. Janďourek anticipates that the construction of the houses will be organized into four to five project sections. However, all individual contracts will be tendered as above-threshold, which means in the same regime as if there were one contract for the whole project. The municipal office estimates the costs for project preparation to be 24 million crowns, with the actual construction costing over 320 million crowns.

Ideally, the city hopes to start building the first houses in 2026, but according to the deputy, they have not yet definitively decided on the form of housing. "We are discussing the possibility of creating affordable housing in the sense of non-profit cooperative housing," he stated. He also expects that part of the apartments will be designated for young families and there will also be professional apartments for teachers, healthcare workers, or police officers.

The Papírové náměstí area between Soukenné náměstí and the elementary school on Barvířská street is one of the most neglected spots in the center of the hundred-thousand city. About 20 different owners own land in this area, with the city owning the most. It owns approximately 10,000 square meters. The city’s ambition is to transform this area into a creative and residential district. The first visible step should be the revitalization of the municipal terraces located above Papírové náměstí from the side of Sokolovské náměstí. The city wants to start this work within two years.

The city is also preparing a revolutionary step in parking for the Papírové náměstí area, where cars should mainly be parked on the outskirts of this locality. "That area will gradually lose its function as a temporary parking lot. We will slowly build parking capacities right near Linserka and then a parking garage behind Billou," the deputy added.