AUGUST 2022
City Assembly gives green light to the “Sitte Palace” development by approving the sale of land on Macharova St.
Ostrava’s City Assembly has approved the sale of land between Macharova St. and Nádražní St. to the developer NIRA Projekt Omega s.r.o. The planned development at the site will incorporate apartments and commercial premises, and construction is scheduled to begin in 2024.
The investor plans to build the “Sitte Palace”, a polyfunctional building designed by the renowned Bogle Architects studio.
The development will be a high-quality multi-storey complex in the central part of Ostrava. It will be sensitive to the surrounding urban fabric, while also incorporating elements of blue-green infrastructure. The Sitte Palace will have two underground and four above-ground levels, with a recessed top floor. The ground floor will contain commercial premises (for a café, a restaurant, a grocery store, etc.). The part of the building facing onto Nádražní Street will house office units, and the part facing onto Macharova Street will be residential. The underground levels will contain a parking garage, storage units, and technical areas. The entire building will offer full barrier-free access.
Visualisation: Bogle Architects
We have retained our excellent rating from Moody’s
On 22 June 2022 the rating agency Moody’s updated the City of Ostrava’s credit rating, confirming that the City has retained its existing rating (Aa3 with stable outlook).
The decision to award this excellent rating was taken on the basis of a detailed audit of the City’s financial operations and management during the past year, as well as its current financial situation and the future outlook (taking into consideration potential environmental, social and government-related risks). Ostrava has again been awarded the highest rating it can achieve – i.e. the same rating as the Czech Republic.
Moody’s has been rating Ostrava’s creditworthiness since 2002. The first rating awarded to the City was Baa1, but this has been followed by a series of steadily improving rating levels. Ostrava first achieved its current rating in 2019.
Photo: Vladimír J. Mitura
The City’s MAPPA studio coordinates Ostrava’s urban and architectural development
Ostrava’s Municipal Studio for Urban Planning and Architecture (known by its Czech abbreviation MAPPA) was set up to coordinate architecture and urban planning within the city. It has a wide range of responsibilities, including the organization of competitions for architectural developments and urban planning projects. Recent weeks have seen several such competitions.
One of them is the competition for the revitalization of Milada Horáková Park (Sad Dr. Milady Horákové). The announcement of this competition was preceded by a lengthy preparatory phase including a public consultation carried out both in person (in the park itself) and via an online questionnaire. When the winning designs are selected, a further public consultation will follow.
Another competition concerns an urban planning study for the historic part of Ostrava’s Hrušov district. The aim of the study is to propose a solution enabling the creation of new mixed-use buildings and specifying how the new development will interact with the nearby Ostravice River and its confluence with the Odra River.
One of MAPPA’s most important tasks at present is an urban planning study concerning the Black Meadow (Černá Louka) site in the city centre. This follows on from a previous study drawn up by the Netherlands-based Maxwan studio in 2010, which was the winner of an architectural/urban planning competition announced by the City of Ostrava; the Maxwan study was subsequently elaborated by the City’s Office of the Head Architect to create an officially approved urban planning document. After so many intervening years, Ostrava now needs a fresh and updated concept for the Black Meadow site, which will take account of the changed circumstances and reflect the City’s current requirements.
Now, MAPPA has been entrusted with elaborating a new study for the site. We plan to involve architects and urban planners who have already participated in smaller-scale development projects in the vicinity. Our aim is to create a conceptual document setting out guidelines and rules for future developments in the various parts of the site and stipulating the precise conditions for construction projects.
Scratch: MAPPA
A new boulevard with a tram line will link the city centre and Lower Vítkovice
The “mile-long boulevard” will lead from Pavilion A at the Black Meadow (Černá Louka) exhibition centre to Lower Vítkovice. Measuring precisely one mile (1609 metres), it will be a key element in Ostrava’s future development. It will be possible to walk the length of the boulevard in just 15 minutes, or to spend more time exploring various places along the route: besides its role as a transport artery, the new boulevard will also feature a number of cultural, educational and commercial facilities.
The boulevard will link Ruská St. (in Vítkovice) with Pivovarská Street (in the city centre), giving direct access to the Miloš Sýkora Bridge as well as three main city-centre streets (Sokolská, Nádražní, 28. října.) Trams are an integral part of important urban arteries, and the mile-long boulevard will be no exception. A feasibility study for the proposed tram route will be elaborated as part of the currently ongoing changes to Ostrava’s zoning plan. Preparations for the project will be launched in 2023, and the necessary changes to the zoning plan should be approved in 2024. More information is available in a study drawn up by a consortium of architects and planners, 4ct/koucky-arch. CZ/Sendler/Špilar – available for download here: https://lnkd.in/emrWDYZa
Scratch: 4ct/koucky-arch. cz/Sendler/Špilar
Ostrava is seeking an operator for its bikesharing scheme for the next two years
The City of Ostrava is announcing a tender for the operator of its bikesharing system for 2023 and 2024. Interested parties can submit bids up to 29 July 2022.
The bikesharing scheme is now in its fourth year, and during that short time it has become hugely popular. Last year, 515 000 journeys were made as part of the scheme, covering more than 717 000 kilometres. Ostrava has over 1 000 bicycles operating year-round from 356 bikesharing points.
The bikesharing system covers all 23 municipal districts, which have bikesharing points (stations) where the bikes can be rented and dropped off. The scheme is currently operated by Nextbike, and subsidies from the City mean that the first 15 minutes of every journey are free of charge. Now, holders of Ostrava’s annual public transport system (ODIS) card are entitled to a further 15 minutes of free cycling, i.e. 30 minutes free of charge every time they use the bikesharing service.
Photo: The City of Ostrava
OTHER NEWS
New war veterans’ memorial unveiled
A new war memorial in a city-centre park (Park Československých letců) has been unveiled to the public. It is a dignified tribute to all veterans who have risked or sacrificed their lives (and will continue to do so) in the struggle for freedom and democracy.
The memorial was designed by the sculptor Pavla Sceranková, assisted by the author and poet Ondřej Buddeus. Their design was selected as part of an art/architecture competition. It consists of three conical shapes that can be moved along granite grooves, thus changing the meanings of the words on the monument. The moving cones symbolize people returning from wars and seeking out their place in the world.
Photo: Jiří Zerzoň
You can see the acoustic model of Ostrava’s new concert hall at the Plato Gallery
In order to ensure that Ostrava’s new concert hall boasts the best possible acoustics, a precise copy of its interior (at a scale of 1:10) was created and used for a series of acoustic measurements. The measurements lasted for several months, and were carried out by the Japanese company Nagata Acoustics at a specialist studio in Mnichovo Hradiště. In order to simulate real-world conditions as realistically as possible, the interior contained miniature upholstered seats and an audience of doll-like figures wearing clothes.
When the measurements were complete, the model was transported from Mnichovo Hradiště to Ostrava, where it was installed at the Plato Gallery (in the former Bauhaus store). Members of the public have been able to view the model since 13 July.
The full-size concert hall will be opened for real-life audiences in five years. Designed by architect Steven Holl’s New York studio, it forms part of a wider project to modernize the current City of Ostrava Cultural Centre. When complete, the complex will be a multifunctional venue for a wide range of cultural, educational and commercial activities.
Photo: Radim Kolibík
The “Little Copenhagen” quarter will be closed to cars at weekends throughout the summer
On summer weekends, the “Little Copenhagen” (Malá Kodaň) quarter in Ostrava’s city centre (on the left bank of the Ostravice to the south of the Miloš Sýkora Bridge) will again be transformed into a pedestrian-only zone between Kostelní and Biskupská Streets, allowing visitors to enjoy relaxing by the riverside.
This safe car-free zone will become a venue for a range of concerts, markets and other events.
The name of the quarter is a tribute to the Danish capital, which is acknowledged as a shining example of how a city can be truly people-friendly. Ostrava’s mini-version of Copenhagen is packed full of interesting things to see and do.
Photo: Eva Molnárová