FEBRUARY 2022
New residential complex to be created near Ostrava’s historic former slaughterhouse
Ostrava is entering into negotiations on the sale of the real estate complex known as “Rezidence Stodolní” in the city centre. The investor is Linkcity Czech Republic a.s. The decision was taken by the City Council on 11 January after evaluating the two bids received. City representatives will now discuss the contract of sale, finalize the timeline for the planned development, and agree on all the associated terms and conditions. The draft contract will then be discussed by the City Assembly at a session probably in March or April.
The investor presented plans to build high-quality new structures which will be visually impressive while also sensitively developing a currently disused lot in the densely built-up central part of Ostrava. The project will create a multi-functional building, which will comprise an apartment complex, leisure/recreation facilities, and commercial units at street level.
The “Rezidence Stodolní” complex, designed by Bogle Architects, was inspired by the architecture of the nearby historic slaughterhouse, currently being revitalized to create a contemporary art gallery; it will offer modern living imbued with the atmosphere of industrial architecture. The new complex will feature communal garden areas, which will consist of two open courtyards; one will be open to the public (visitors to the commercial units), while the other will be reserved for residents.
See HERE for more information.
New suspended viewing gallery installed on the Ostravice River embankment
Another part of Ostrava’s city centre has now been given a makeover – the embankment along the Ostravice River, which has become an attractive place to stroll and relax. The beginning of 2022 saw the completion of the latest phase in a wide-ranging project to revitalize the embankment. Previous years had brought improvements mainly to the right (east) bank, but last year the focus shifted to the left bank.
The 2021 left bank revitalization project was divided into two sections: from the Sýkora Bridge to the footbridge at the Silesian Ostrava Castle, and further north towards Na Hradbách Street.
The cycle route has been separated from the pedestrian walkway, new greenery has been planted, and street furniture has been installed. The dominant feature is a new suspended gallery featuring an anti-slip glass floor with underlighting. In upcoming years, the embankment near the new University of Ostrava campus will also be revitalized.
See HERE for more information on the embankment project.
Construction work on the smart and sustainable Organica building is in full flow
The Organica office building is located on a former brownfield in the centre of Ostrava. It is being built by the developer Contera, which is currently negotiating with potential tenants. After its completion in 2023, most of the premises will be occupied by the international IT giant TietoEVRY.
Construction at the site (between the Forum Nová Karolina shopping mall and the Triple Hall) began in July 2021. Earth-moving work is currently underway to enable the foundation piles to be installed. Work has also been launched on the creation of the monolithic reinforced concrete structural skeleton. This phase will last until mid-April 2022, when the two underground levels will be concreted. The project will then shift its focus to the above-ground floors.
When completed, Organica will be able to boast smart building management systems as well as BREEAM Excellent certification in recognition of its environmental sustainability. It will be among the most modern office buildings in Ostrava.
Contera is also currently working on a project in Ostrava’s Hrušov district, which is the site of the CONTERA Park Ostrava D1 (including the main logistics centre for the sports equipment retailer Sportisimo).
See HERE for more information about the project.
Three new business support programmes launched in the region
During January, the Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre launched three programmes that will support businesses in the region. The first programme, Startup Voucher (only in Czech), is targeted at newly formed businesses with strong potential and the ambition to become important regional players. It is suitable for startups in established areas of the market – gastro, services, manual trades, etc.
The TechArt Voucher (only in Czech) programme is targeted at companies seeking to improve their products. It is designed for SMEs with headquarters or operations in the Moravian-Silesian Region which are keen to increase their market share or enter new markets by launching re-designs of existing products.
The last programme, InnoBooster (only in Czech), will help companies find professionals who they want to employ.
Applications can be submitted between 17 January and 23 March 2022.
For a number of years, the Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre (MSIC) has also run the Startup Voucher competition, which helps to motivate newly established businesses in the region. The most recent awards were held in the autumn of 2021 and featured 89 startups, of which 64 went through to the second round. The jury then shortlisted 14 finalists, eventually selecting 3 winners (who also received a financial prize). In first place was Ostrava-based startup Nilmore, which specializes in circular clothing. You can read more about this innovative local business in the October issue of this newsletter.
We are still seeking an investor for an indoor sports complex in Ostrava-Jih
At its first January 2022 session, Ostrava’s City Council decided not to launch negotiations on the sale of land at Svazácká Street in Ostrava-Jih (announced last year). Only one interested party submitted an offer, but the bid did not comply with the conditions set out in the call.
However, the City is still keen to build an indoor sports complex at the site (which could include a swimming pool), so it plans to announce a new call for bids to buy the land.
The creation of a new water park forms part of the City’s action plan for sports-related investments. The facility would be used both by local schools and by the general public.
The panel tasked with assessing the bids evaluated whether the offer met the conditions stipulated by the City; the answer was negative.
A new polyfunctional building is planned in Slezská Ostrava
At its first session in 2022, Ostrava’s City Assembly approved plans to sell land in Slezská Ostrava (Silesian Ostrava) located between U Staré elektrárny Street and Bohumínská Street. The developer UNNI Development gama plans to build a polyfunctional complex on the site, containing 11 apartments, a garage with 30 parking spaces, and two commercial units.
The site is located in an area known as Zámostí. Formerly an attractive, densely built-up part of Slezská Ostrava, it suffered greatly during the second half of the 20th century due to insensitive development projects which destroyed the district’s historic core.
Regulating conditions for the planned sale, which reflect the City’s wider-ranging plans for the revitalization of the entire quarter, were drawn up by the Municipal Studio for Urban Planning and Architecture (MAPPA)(only in Czech). These conditions define precisely where buildings can be located on individual plots in order to create a coherent street line along Bohumínská Street. The conditions also stipulate precisely how high new buildings can be (in order to ensure that they are in harmony with the surrounding structures).
Construction work must be completed no later than 31 March 2027. During 2022, the City will continue planning and coordinating the ongoing transformation of Bohumínská Street into a fully-fledged urban thoroughfare; this will enhance the quality of the public spaces along this major artery, build on currently vacant lots, and implement traffic calming measures.
See HERE for more information.
The Silesian University has opened a new degree programme in Innovative Business
The Silesian University’s School of Business Administration in Karviná has received accreditation for a brand-new degree programme based on an innovative educational concept from Finland known as Team Academy. The new concept is being applied in the Bachelor degree programme Innovative Business.
Starting already in their first year, students will set up a real company and learn how to do business in real life. Instead of lectures, learning is based on team activities; teams meet and discuss the experience and knowledge they have gained, and they are responsible for deciding what they want to learn going forward. The teams are coached by experts from the university.
The Team Academy concept has been operating in Finland (and in branches throughout the world) for more than two decades. Results show that around 47% of former students have continued to run their own businesses after graduating, while the remaining graduates have pursued successful careers in other organizations.
See HERE for more information (only in Czech).
New programme helps people improve the places where they live
As in previous years, this year the City of Ostrava is opening a grant scheme targeted at anybody with a bright idea of how to improve the aesthetics or functionality of public spaces in the city. Since its launch in 2017, the programme has helped fund almost 50 projects of this type. The 2022 version of the programme is being launched with a new name and a new visual style.
The “Creating Our Space” programme will run until the end of 2024, but it will be divided into a number of separate calls. Applicants for funding will be assessed in three stages. The jury will evaluate all the submitted projects not only from the perspective of their aesthetics and functionality, but also in terms of how the local community will be involved in the project’s implementation; this community involvement is one of the key criteria for success in the grant scheme.
Interested parties can find complete information about the scheme (including the application form) at the programme’s website www.tvorimeprostor.cz (only in Czech).
Ostrava’s Technical University is building a unique facility for working with alternative fuels
The Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET) at Ostrava’s VŠB Technical University is celebrating its first birthday. This research institute was set up with a clear mission: to develop modern technologies and methods enabling the Czech Republic to manage its transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. The CEET offers strong potential in this field thanks to its team of top experts and its unique laboratory facilities. One of the key priorities of research at the CEET will be hydrogen, which will contribute to greater self-sufficiency in energy production – including self-sufficiency in raw materials for some regions.
The CEET was created by merging four separate research institutes at the Technical University. With around 400 experts making up its research teams, it covers a uniquely wide and diverse range of fields. Cooperation with commercial partners is a key element in the Centre’s work and one of its core priorities; this also sets it apart from other research centres.
In January the Centre is launching a major investment project which will create the CEETe (CEET Explorer). This will be a unique technological facility at the University’s campus focusing on alternative fuels, particularly exploiting waste materials to produce useful forms of energy. In December 2021 preparatory work began at the site; this will continue until March 2022, when the construction work itself will be launched. Completion is scheduled for 2023.
Source: VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava
Image: Chválek atelirér
OTHER NEWS
New exhibition shows how Slezská Ostrava can develop its potential
On 19 January, Ostrava’s Municipal Studio for Urban Planning and Architecture (MAPPA) launched a new exhibition entitled Ostrava Beyond the River. The exhibition presents the work of third-year students at Ostrava Technical University’s Department of Architecture, whose task was to devise a comprehensive urban planning solution for the Zámostí quarter of Slezská Ostrava (the area on the east bank of the Ostravice River near the Miloš Sýkora Bridge). The designs reveal the potential of some of the public spaces in the area, as well as showing possible new buildings. The exhibition will last until 18 March 2022, and it is open to visitors every weekday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Ostrava will host a number of top international sports events in 2022
Every year, Ostrava is the venue for numerous sports events, some of which are internationally renowned. At its January session, the City Assembly approved funding for a range of sports events (as in previous years). The funding will be targeted at large-scale events in a number of different sports. So, what will be the highlights of the 2022 sporting calendar in Ostrava?
The City will provide substantial sums to support eight major events. These include the Czech Indoor Gala athletics tournament, which has been held in Ostrava since 2017. Another of these top events is the Golden Spike athletics meeting, which will take place on 31 May 2022. This event has been held in Ostrava since 1961, and in that time it has grown to become one of the world’s premier athletics meetings.
Ball sports will also receive funding. The tennis complex in the Komenského Sady park will be the venue for the Men’s International Tennis Tournament beginning on 25 April; this event will showcase some of the top talents in Czech and international men’s tennis. At the end of May, the city will host the Ostrava Beach Open beach volleyball tournament – an event that holds the highest rating from the International Volleyball Federation, making it the world’s top beach volleyball competition.
For more information see HERE (only in Czech).
Get funding for your green project
Ostrava’s waste management company OZO Ostrava has announced its annual project funding scheme for the sixth year in a row. This year’s projects – to be funded from the income generated by Ostrava’s Reuse Centre – will focus on planting and maintaining public greenery. The Reuse Centre accepts functioning items whose owners no longer need them, breathing new life into these objects by selling them to new owners – a circular process which helps reduce waste production.
In previous years, OZO’s funding scheme has supported six projects focusing on improving quality of life for seniors in Ostrava and one project to create a children’s play area. Legal entities (institutions, associations etc.) from the public or private sector can submit their projects until 28 February 2022; to be eligible, applicants must operate within OZO’s waste collection area.
Projects must involve activities in public spaces located within the boundaries of the City of Ostrava. Applicants must provide proof of consent from the owner of the land (or a sworn declaration by the applicant stating that they own the land). Individual projects may receive between 20 000 and 150 000 CZK in funding.
See HERE for more information about the scheme (only in Czech).