The largest investment in Plzeň will be the completion of the science and technology park next year

Plzeň – The largest investment of the city of Plzeň in 2022 will be the TechTower science and technology park, which will be created by converting former barracks and the Světovar brewery. The city will spend 329 million crowns on it, which was approved by the city council on Monday during the budget approval. The construction, costing more than 570 million crowns, could be completed by the end of next year, although it may extend into 2023, said David Šlouf (ODS), the councilor for economy, to ČTK.

TechTower, whose construction started last spring, aims to motivate young people to stay in Plzeň, start companies, and realize ideas. Out of the current largest investment of the city, 180 million CZK will come from EU funds. "The science and technology park for startups and innovative companies will also be a place where people will meet and inspire each other,” said Mayor Martin Baxa (ODS). The complex, named after a 32-meter-high water tower, will include a pool for testing underwater robots. The seven-story lager cellars with a tower and the management villa are undergoing reconstruction.

The Světovar complex was established at the end of World War I as a competitor to Pilsner Urquell. At that time it was the most modern brewery in Austria-Hungary. The lager cellars were built from a high-quality reinforced concrete skeleton with vaulted shells and brick cladding. All of its advantages were utilized by Tereza Vojtěšková and Milan Varvařovský, the authors of the architectural solution for TechTower.

"The lager cellars are made up of two parts. In the lower part, there is a beautiful original hall. It was enough to design a generous outdoor entrance and create a courtyard. In the upper part of the building, the original division determined by the skeleton was present, so it lent itself to being divided into offices. The construction of the building allowed for an additional floor to be added,” stated Vojtěšková. On the ground floor of the villa, there will be a nursery, the first floor will have offices for the city's information technology management (SIT), a podcast studio, and offices for startups and for rent.

SIT Director Luděk Šantora believes that a community of young people will develop in TechTower, who will become top experts and founders of startup companies. SIT has been running the Robotics Center for Technical Education for children for years. This is followed by the SIT Port project, which is aimed at youth aged 16 and older through various projects. Talents can continue there, perhaps especially in TechTower.

The architects incorporated a pool into the building and illuminated the entire space. The ten-meter-deep pool will be used for testing underwater drones and robots. In the neighboring building, there will be a polygon for underground, ground, and aerial robot testing. "The interest in this type of testing space is really high. We managed to connect with the American National Standards Institute and obtained documentation for the test tracks and methodology. The spaces will be used for testing as well as for training in working with robots in the integrated rescue system,” added Šantora.