In Kladno, a new residential district with approximately 300 apartments will be created, connecting the parts of Dubí and Korea

Kladno - A new residential quarter called Na Vysokém will be created in Kladno with approximately 300 apartments, which will connect the parts of the town Dubí and Korea. It is the site of the former František Josef mine. Around 700 residents could live there. There will also be commercial areas, civic amenities, and public spaces, which are currently lacking in the Dubí municipal part. The planning of the urban and architectural form has begun. There is also a search for functional uses of the former mining buildings, known as the Kladno Cathedrals, which could gain citywide, and even regional significance, said architect Klára Náglová from the m4 architekti studio, which is preparing the project.

According to the architect, the values of the former František Josef mine site cannot be preserved through mere conservation. "We see the way forward as a combination of various functions throughout the entire quarter. We drew inspiration from similar brownfields with original deep mining in the Czech Republic and abroad. These show that one without the other has little chance of being preserved and functioning sustainably," Náglová stated. She added that another source of inspiration for the designs is the concept known as Positive Energy District, a city area that produces at least as much energy as it consumes annually. "We anticipate the start of implementation within five years," the architect noted.

The project will, according to the architects, respect and protect the industrial heritage of the site and the post-industrial landscape at the site of the former mine, which was established in the 1860s. During the First Republic, it was named Prago Tragy, and after World War II, it was called Antonín Zápotocký. Mining there ceased in 1990. "The common goal of the entire Na Vysokém project is the revitalization of the area, the permeability of the territory, and development along the main backbone from the historic building of the Kladno-Dubí train station, through the adaptation of the most significant historical objects, further to the mining spoil," the architect added.

The vegetation growing on the spoil should, according to her, undergo no less important restoration. The architects plan to utilize greenery not only of an urban and populated character but also to protect and support the diversity of the landscape in the form of the newly created wilderness there.