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BRINGING LIFE TO BROWNFIELDS
The Špitálka project is part of the large European project RUGGEDISED (www.ruggedised.eu), which is to demonstrate the use of modern technologies and approaches in the development of city districts. RUGGEDISED associates with pilot cities Rotterdam, Umeå and Glasgow and with the fellow cities of Brno, Gdansk and Parma, where solutions are to be implemented in order to expand the intelligent city model in Europe. The project focuses on certain direct impacts – reduction of a buildings’ energy consumption, an increase in the utilization of renewable energy resources and electric vehicles, introduction of intelligent technologies of energy management and utilization of available data when planning city development. The selected Špitálka location is located within the area of Teplárny Brno a.s. and has so far been closed to the general public. The first stage of the future conversion will need a quality urban design for a complex with relation to its surrounding environment. That is why the area of interest is a broader concerned area of 24.55 ha which is located next to the historical city centre being part of the protected zone of an ur-
eyes. Non-profit making organizations are active there, new development is being both planned and realized and the paint flaking buildings are slowly undergoing reconstruction. Activity is also proven by the recently held competition for a Creative Centre with the intention of turning the building of a former penitentiary into quality background facilities for artists, architects and creative individuals of various professions. It is just one of Brno’s strategic projects. SYMBOL OF PROGRESS AND MODERN TECHNOLOGIES
ban conservation area. It is an area with high building density and an enclosed housing block structure. There are former production complexes, which used to represent the industrial centre of the city. These dilapidated buildings nowadays form a large part of local brownfields. Moreover, this area around Cejl Street is a negatively assessed part of Brno being referred to as ‘the Bronx’. Local residents are usually socially weaker citizens and the area is the most socially excluded part of the city. Nevertheless, this location is currently experiencing significant change and the district with a bad reputation and neglected infrastructure is gradually altering right before our
The objective of the competition for the Špitálka location is to obtain a quality urban design and find a solution that will achieve further steps leading to a change in the city’s planning documentation, regulation plan for the location and future development for this part of the city. The solution should have a unifying concept, which is to interconnect the total area within the city’s structure naturally and functionally. It is primarily important for the proposal to respect the long-term sustainability of the location and its genius loci. The deadline set for the submission of the competition proposals is three months. The competition will be announced on 10th October and applicants will be able to submit their proposals by 10th January 2019 latest. Competing proposals should respect the city’s plan to create a smart district within an area of interest. It will be an ecologically sustainable area full of greenery with modern technology and approaches to simplify and improve both residents’ and visitors’ stay. A place where natural resources are handled economically and where renewable energy resources are utilized to the largest possible extent and where community life and inclusion develop. This location is to become a symbol of progress and modern technology for Brno. For more information see the website of the Brno’s City Chief Architect’s Office, www.kambrno.cz/souteze/. DEPUTY MAYOR’S OFFICE FOR SMART CITY / BRNO CITY MUNICIPALITY / PHOTO: T. CHRÁSTOVÁ, Y. OSTRENKO
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