As of 2017, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences BOKU in Vienna has had a new building made completely from wood. It is an exceptional building, which meets economical, ecological as well as social aspects of sustainability.

The author of the architectural concept is DELTA and the SWAP Studio. The two-story timber-frame building of about 1,300 sq m was built in only a year and became a very well-appointed facility for a new research centre and the Institute for Agrobiotechnology IFA in Tulln, Austria.

A well-thought through concept of a building

The analytic centre is situated on the ground floor, next to the foyer and a salon with a ward kitchen. The premises for the Institute for Environmental Biotechnology are on the top floor. the heart of the two-story timber-frame building and thus a central gathering place is a conference and common room with a kitchenette on the ground floor. Technological background facilities are in the basement.

Ecological as well as energetic wood quality

Three years of this building’s operation show that the modern timber-frame structure meets low-energy standards. Wood as a building material can be seen on a façade and also creates unchangeable aesthetics inside the building. There were approximately 500 m³ of timber from local woods used for the construction. All offices face south or west and benefit from an abundance of natural daylight. The laboratories were intentionally planned for the northern side in order to allow for work without being blinded. Thanks to its clear structure, the building fits in well with the character of the existing campus of the other buildings. Floor heating creates a comfortable environment, especially in the winter; heating is supplied via remote heat line. “With the selection of the timber-frame structure, we decided for an extra sustainable and highly functional material. We are astounded by wood’s qualities and advantages as a building material with regards to the speed of the construction process, cost effectiveness of the building and ecological as well as energetic quality of the new university building,” says Erik Štefanovič from DELTA Czech Republic with regards to the building.

Sustainable reflexions throughout its lifespan

The reasoning for the use of a timber-frame building came from the results of an architectural tender. Fast implementation, a high rate of flexibility when used and ecological factors convinced the investors of BIG and BOKU about the correctness of the ARGE DELTA SWAP concept. Economic advantages mainly stem from a time factor – what was decision making were the effective production processes, short assembly time at the building site and immediate load-bearing capacity of the structure. As for the ecological point of view, wood is an ideal building material as it is a renewable resource, which is 100% usable and recyclable.

The DELTA SWAP concept also has social aspects: “The homely character of wood emphasises students’ working environment. The clear working processes of the research company are also reflected in strictly rhythmically situated window openings,” explain architects Georg Unterhohenwarter and Markus Hofwimmer from ARGE DELTA SWAP. Apart from the fact that the new building is made from wood, it is also distinguished for its compact silhouette outline. The interior part of the building is divided into zones; partition walls inside the zones are not designed as load-bearing, so the rooms can be modified flexibly. The concept of the building is really well-thought out to the slightest detail in accordance with DELTA green line principle that the architects abided by and thanks to which they managed to convince the committee and win first place in the category of timber-framed public buildings.

red / Photo: Christian Brandstätter

In the historical area of Těšín Silesia, in the mountain range of Silesian Beskids, near the borders with the Czech Republic, is the town of Wisła with a population of more than 11,000 people. This popular tourist destination is sought after by thousands of visitors throughout the year.

 

And it is where the story begins of architect Michal Postránecký, who executed and introduced the proposal for the study of the project of Wisła Riverside Citywalk. The study presents a concept that is anchored by a joint agreement about co-ordinated development in a particular area where there would be a central pedestrian boulevard with a complex of modern buildings with a broad functional utilization with very sensitively incorporated public areas from an urban point of view, bestowing the whole area with significant attractiveness.

 

The town of Wisła towards the future

The architect of the project, Michal Postránecký, who is also a founder and head of CCF CIIRC at the Czech Technical University in Prague, adds: “Together with town representatives and a private investor we believe that the vision of Wisła as a modern town of the 21^st century can be connected suitably with the proposed project Wisła Riverside Citywalk. The project that follows the tradition and heritage of the old Wisła complements the existing town areas appropriately. The urban solution offers a newly created public area for the gathering of existing residents and visitors, which also interconnects suitably the function of housing with the area of job opportunities, quality restaurants and picturesque cafés, shops and cultural experiences.”

 

Location and urbanism

The heart of the new development is a pedestrian zone with a ‘theatre square surrounded by shops, cafés and excellent restaurants. Establishments and facilities provide particular services and theatre and other activities are focused perpendicularly towards the Vistula River and Kolejowa Road. Once completed, there will be a pedestrian route connecting the main Bogumiła Hoffa Square, a place with many activities and attractions, with 1. Maja Street and the Księżycowy Boulevard that runs along the river. Between the main road that runs through the town and the Vistula River, there is the striking complex of the Gołębiewski Hotel on the opposite side of the river.

 

Architectural solution

The architectural solution for the new buildings is designed in a style of modern architecture that respects the character of the location. A group of residential buildings is concentrated towards the river. Some of them can be used for short-term accommodation in a 4* boutique hotel or, in the case of longer stays, in residential units. The buildings are designed with a glazed façade which reflects the broad surroundings with which they will visually blend very well.

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The building industry has also seen an unexpected deviation and a slowdown in all projects this year. But the pace is slowly getting back to normal thanks to the greater need for new apartments, offices and schools in Prague.

A great number of heavy lorries daily bring building materials to Prague and take away a considerable amount of extracted rocks and scrap.

Freight transportation produces a large amount of emissions, devastates roads, worsens the already busy traffic and last but not least increases dustiness and noise levels. They are looking for new ways as to how to relieve Prague traffic. There is the option of using the Vltava River, which runs through the city centre, in order to supply the city with building materials. The two concrete mixing plants situated in Prague‘s centre, which maximally utilize shipping transport for their supplies due to their ports on Vltava riverbanks, can set the example.

Building plans for road infrastructure

New apartments, administrative buildings, parking buildings, schools and other buildings of civic amenities are continued being built in the capital. In the city centre there are many brownfields intended for development. They are also planning massive investment in the road infrastructure in the city. The key is to complete the inner ring road running from the northern opening of the Blanka tunnel through Balabenka and Jarov all the way to Průmyslová Street and then the interconnection of the Rozvadov junction (beginning of the D5 motorway) with the ring road at Zlíchov, connection of Ruzyně Airport, the D route underground, reconstruction of the Libeň Bridge and construction of the new bridge Holešovice – Karlín

Mostly utilised building material

A basic commodity that is being used in the construction of large infrastructure projects is concrete, which is produced in concrete mixing plants that need to be situated as close as possible to the construction site so that the material can be delivered to the construction site fresh, before it starts to harden. Concrete comprises four main materials – aggregate, cement, additives and water. Some 80% of the total volume of the concrete comprises aggregate and sand, are brought from stone and sand quarries north of Prague. Most of Prague’s concrete mixing plants is supplied via lorries. One lorry brings approximately 30 tons of aggregate. If we take into consideration specialists’ estimates that the necessary amount of concrete a year will be more than 1 million cubic metres, the amount of aggregate necessary to be delivered every year is about 2 million tons, which corresponds to more than 60,000 lorries.

How to replace thousands of lorries a year?

There is a way to reduce this number of lorries considerably. We can find inspiration in Vienna, Hamburg, London, Brussels or Paris, where they have been utilizing the river for city supplies for many years. Prague does not lag behind there either. There are two modern concrete mixing plants that have been utilizing river transportation for years situated in the city centre on the banks of the Vltava River. The concrete mixing plant Rohanský ostrov and concrete mixing plant Libeň are modern ecological operations, which meet strict environmental management criteria ISO 14001 and have a port for ship transport. Up to 80% of all material, which is necessary for concrete production, is shipped. One ship replaces 33 lorries. With current production, the two concrete mixing plants deliver almost 400,000 tons of aggregate, which relieves the capital of 13,000 lorries every year. Due to the increased requirement for concrete, it is necessary to relieve the city of up to 20,000 lorries a year, that is approximately one third of the total amount of aggregate delivered to Prague. During the existence period of these two concrete mixing plants, Prague has already been relieved of more than 250,000 lorries. Concrete from these operations was utilised during the construction of almost all important constructions in Prague: all stages of Prague underground, Blanka, Strahovský and Zlíchov tunnels, railway tunnels of Nové spojení, Trojský Bridge as well as the National Technical Library and recently also the New Water Line ÚČOV, etc.

Vltava – the largest motorway in Prague

River shipping to the city centre represents the future of a better environment in Prague. Inspiration can be found in Paris, where modern concrete mixing plants and trans-shipment points are situated directly on the Seine riverbank, within a view of the Eiffel Tower, just next to offices and residential buildings, well incorporated within their surroundings. Futuristic design features often hide the industrial operation and its unsightly parts. Prague also deserves a similar solution. The two concrete mixing plants are already carefully placed within their surroundings: the Rohanský Plant operation is concealed from passer-byes behind a green bank and the Libeň concrete mixing plant is interconnected with the river with an underground collector. That makes the whole strip along the Vltava River available for leisure activities. There are projects as to how to incorporate the two concrete mixing plants within their neighbourhood. The credo of TBG METROSTAV concrete mixing plants is to produce a greener concrete for Prague as possible.

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The exceptional building of the former factory Meopta in Košíře, Prague, awaits yet another part of its life stage. YIT started converting it into the Parvi Cibulka project with 149 original apartments of mostly loft type, which respect the building’s industrial past.

 

YIT do not make it a secret that they consider Parvi Cibulka the gem of their portfolio. “Never, not even for a moment, did we consider for Meopta to be demolished even though the building is not listed. This place situated in the middle of the villa development has great potential and that is why we planned to revitalize it and bestow it with new utilization from the very beginning. It will remain the dominant point of the whole location,” says Vladimír Dvořák, manager at YIT Stavo. The author of the architectural project is the renowned architect Jakub Cigler, who says: “With YIT we agreed that preserving the traditional building discloses the power and potential of the whole conversion. Parvi Cibulka basically comprises seven housing blocks in one row. Thanks to its central entrance with services located in its arcades however make it look like a residential palace. In the project we also partly stem from Finish and Nordic architecture, which will mostly be evident in the interiors combining natural materials with industrial features.”

Stylish housing in many variants

Parvi Cibulka is to include 149 modern, energy efficient and well-appointed apartments of different types and layouts. They all will pride themselves with amazing views of Prague or into the peaceful inner block with a park.

The total of 88 Gallery units is to offer stylish lofts with built-in gallery. The 28 Kreative apartments stem with their originality and can, in time, be changed to suit their occupants. They can, for instance, fit a family with children as they can fit the area with more galleries as required in years to come. Nine Duplex maisonettes characterise two storeys. If someone desires an airy one-story apartment, they will be happy with the nine Industrial units with ceiling heights of up to 3.5 metres. There are 15 one-storey Panorama apartments situated on top floors, which also include four entirely exceptional penthouses with glazed walls; they allow a perfect view of the whole metropolis. YIT has already built a show apartment within the factory premises for interested clients.

Own park and fitness

YIT is to maximally use original industrial features and historical premises – thus they are also to preserve its civil defence shelter where there will be cellar booths. Residents will also have the use of a new pram room, an area for bike and dog washing and a shared workroom. The former factory will, for instance, also offer a small fitness centre and café.

The Meopta building is situated within the vicinity of another of YIT’s project, Aalto Cibulka. Between the two buildings is a large green inner block, which the developer designed as a private enclosed park with a water feature intended only for residents. They can therefore enjoy a safe place for their children’s rollicking in a playground as well as for a peaceful place to sit down in. Directly in its neighbourhood is also the Cibulka forest park, which is suitable for walks as well as sports activities.

For more information see www.yit.cz

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UBM Development Czechia is a development company which has operated in the Czech market for 27 years. The Czech branch of the significant Austrian developer UBM Development AG is not afraid to get down to non-traditional, large and complex projects.

 

We discussed the company’s activities with their Director, Josef Wiedermann.

Can you introduce UBM and its operation in the Czech market?

Our very first activity was the reconstruction of the neo-Baroque palace Darex situated at Wenceslas Square. Now we mainly attend to residence construction and also the construction of administrative buildings and hotels. We look for interesting projects for acquisition, in particular in the segment of residential housing. As for Prague, we currently have the realization of a total of 650 residential units ready. What comes as a distinct advantage is the fact that we are able to cover the whole development process ourselves. We, for instance, have our own experienced team of architects and civil engineers led by Helmut Berghofer who work for most of the countries we operate in. They prepare all levels of project documentation – from studies to interior design.

Where else are you active in Europe and in what way?

Apart from the Czech Republic, we also realize projects for leading European metropolises in Austria, Germany and Poland. We strategically focus on residential and administrative projects just as they do in our country. With more than 145 years of history, UBM is the only provider that covers the whole development process via their own resources, from initial planning to marketing and ultimate sale.

What Czech projects historically belong to those most successful?

It is difficult to select the most successful projects but if I was to speak of the largest then, it is, no doubt, the multifunctional project Anděl City at Smíchov, Prague, comprising 14 buildings within the complex of the former Tatra factory, which was constructed in three stages and changed the original appearance of Anděl at Smíchov. There we built two designer hotels, Angelo and Andel´s, the multiscreen cinema CineStar (at that time called Cinema) with underground garages with a capacity of 436 parking places, five administrative buildings, which used to house Czech branches of global giants such as Cetelem or Maersk. The whole project was completed with two residential buildings with 106 and 109 apartments and an apartment building that belongs to Andel´s Hotel. This location also offers our current luxurious residential project NEUGRAF, which is under construction. It comprises 177 apartments with communal terrace on the roof of the southern wing and a private wellness. The conversion of the historical building to the Le Palais Hotel also represented a special project and so does the present reconstruction of Cukrovarnický Palace at Senovážné Square, transforming it into the Hotel Andaz Prague, the top line of the Hyatt Hotels chain. It is, so far, also UBM’s biggest investment in the Czech Republic.

A large residential project is being built on the boundaries of Stodůlky and Řeporyje. How many apartments are you planning there and in what time horizon?

Arcus City is our new project situated in the south-west part of the city. It will be realized in three stages and will provide 284 residential units and 26 family houses. In June we commenced the pre-sale of the first stage, which comprises 100 units and is to be completed in 2023. Other stages are to follow in a relatively speedy sequence. The second stage will be put onto the market during next year. The first phase of the residential development offers two categories – Comfort and Penthouse. They both come with an above standard quality of all utilized materials, from wooden windows and floors to quality sanitary products and tiles.

What is typical of Arcus City? How does it differ from other projects in this location?

Arcus City, as its name suggests, will create a new compact complex of a large area, which includes housing in residential and family houses, commercial premises and a new bus stop. The complex of these is to provide residents with comprehensive self-contained comfort as well as a quick connection with Stodůlky underground station. The whole area also includes a large number of possibilities for relaxation and sports complemented with new greenery, even though there is a direct connection to Řepora open-air museum. Another significant difference lies in the quality of standards I have already mentioned, both in the residential units as well as building technology such as strengthened walls for better acoustic insulation.

Are you also accounting with the development of civic amenities and commercial premises?

Commercial premises will be situated in the centre of the project as a part of ground floors of residential buildings, which belong to the second stage. It is therefore to complete an imaginary square of all three stages.

Aren’t you worried about unpleasant traffic noise from Prague’s ring road?

The architectural project is executed ingeniously into an arch shape so the buildings are distributed in such a way that they are enclosed. Windows face the inner block or enjoy a south or south-easterly view of Řeporyje and Zbuzany. Jeremiášova and Poncarova Streets therefore remain at the back of the residents.

Are you planning any measures regarding this?

Apart from the concept of building as such, we are also to strengthen the green strip that leads to Poncarova Street, which already partly separates them and with regards to the naturally rippled terrain, which is several metres higher by the road, we consider it totally sufficient.

AK