The study of the sports hall in Kroměříž will be processed by atelier-r

Kroměříž – The Kroměříž City Hall is preparing to construct a new multi-purpose sports hall for ball sports. The city council approved the investment plan and instructed the company atelier-r from Olomouc to develop the architectural study for the hall. The study, commissioned by the previous city administration, is regarded by the current one as unusable. The main issues were user-unfriendly solutions for the hall and its high price, Mayor Tomáš Opatrný (ANO) told reporters today. The city has long lacked a sports hall for ball sports.

The study will cost 1.7 million crowns, including VAT. The city commissioned it directly without a tender, which was criticized by opposition councilor and former deputy mayor Vratislav Krejčíř (Pirates). "A tender could have been held, and we could have saved as a city," Krejčíř said. According to Opatrný, the city proceeded this way to speed up the preparation of the construction.

The study prepared by the previous city administration envisioned a hall with a circular floor plan. "The glazed walls appeared problematic as they would dazzle athletes during play. The entrances and stands were also poorly designed. Additionally, the hall was spatially oversized, which would have increased construction costs by approximately 150 million crowns," stated Opatrný. The previously prepared study accounted for an enclosure of 40,000 m³, while the one prepared by the new administration will have a limit of up to 27,000 m³.

The floor plan of the hall should be rectangular. "This is a more suitable solution for space utilization. In an oval hall without corners, there is a lot of unused space," said Libor Pecháček, head of the city hall's investment department. The hall will be intended for volleyball, basketball, footbasket, floorball, indoor soccer, handball, table tennis, badminton, futsal, as well as gymnastics and dance sports.

The hall is set to be located south of the swimming pool on Obvodová Street, thus also in proximity to the football stadium. "It is very appropriate to concentrate individual sports activities in one area. The exact location of the hall will be part of the study," architect Miroslav Pospíšil from atelier-r said. According to him, the firm has previously designed several similarly focused halls.

Kroměříž drew inspiration from the hall in Prostějov while preparing the sports hall, which was also designed by atelier-r. It was built several years ago with the help of a grant. "That is also our aim. We are talking about an investment higher than 300 million crowns. We will track grant opportunities from the state National Sports Agency and from the Zlín Region," Opatrný said. According to him, the hall in Kroměříž could be built in 2025 or 2026.

A sports hall with the dimensions of a 40 by 20 meter court suitable for handball, floorball, and other sports is sorely missing in Kroměříž. In addition to sports clubs, schools are also expected to use it. The auditorium will have a capacity of at least 300 spectators, according to the mayor. Hall sports can currently only be practiced at a competitive level in the aging sports hall on Kotojedská Street, which is mostly occupied by basketball, leaving no space for other sports.