Apartments and houses with views of Prague and services

One of the current projects by KKCG Real Estate Group, a part of the investment group KKCG, is the top‘ residence of Pomezí, urban housing with a park landscape in public areas as well as private gardens by the individual buildings.

We talked about the top‘ residence Pomezí in detail with Otto Koval, Business Manager of the company.

The top‘ residence Pomezí is at a relatively advanced phase. You have commenced work on the second stage. At what phase is the first stage and when are the first tenants due to move in?

The completion of the first stage of the top‘ residence Pomezí is planned for March 2021. The final detail on the facades are being completed in the case of all four buildings and intensive work proceeds in the interiors – laying tiles, wooden flooring and work by the locksmiths. Street lighting and the final pavement surface has been realized. The first apartments will be ready for handover at the turn of March and April 2021.

How many apartments are still left for sale and which type attracted most interest?

Almost all apartments from the first stage have been sold. We still have two smaller apartments and four larger ones of a penthouse type with roof gardens left from our offer. Flats that sold first were those with front gardens and all standard apartments with a view of Prague’s panorama or the natural park.

Won’t the construction of the second stage somehow restrict new residents?

When planning the construction of the second stage of the project, we tried to minimize the impact it might have on all residents within the neighbourhood. That is why we realized some of the infrastructure work in advance and will continue to do so. Construction of the housing blocks from the second stage, which are located within the immediate vicinity of those from the first stage, will be commenced in the spring of 2021 and their rough structure, the shell, will be completed in less than a year. The development of family houses that are to follow, with an interval of several months, will proceed behind a ‘barrier’ of these housing blocks. We plan to complete total construction before the end of 2023.

The second stage is of a more versatile nature with regards to the typology of the buildings. Can you describe it to us further?

The second stage of the top‘ residence Pomezí will offer a total of 59 well-appointed apartments, 38 terraced family houses and five exclusive detached villas. The urban project, which came from an architectural workshop, is a work by the Czech branch of the English studio Bogle Architects. The authors of the individual groups of buildings are, aside from this studio, the Austrian-Czech association of the studios Baumschlager Eberle & Hnilička architekti and majo architekti. The basic concept of the urban project for the second stage of the project is to retain its natural environment where the terraced houses and housing blocks are located and which will allow pleasant housing surrounded by greenery. The natural utilization of the shape of the terrain allowed for the creation of different garden levels, which will provide new residents with sufficient privacy, is only to intensify the panoramic view of Prague’s centre and the surrounding greenery. Realization of the part of the project that is important to us will be secured by landscape architect Štěpánka Šmídová with her team from the Šmídová Landscape Architects studio. Vegetation in both private as well as public areas will comprise the original grown trees as well as those newly planted. The park also includes two retention basins. We are also preparing a multifunctional and children’s playground and picnicking area at the bottom part of the plot.

All residential units and buildings are realized to a high standard. Prices correspond with this. What has the response been so far?

We have noted considerable interest in the apartments at the top‘ residence Pomezí, which certainly pleases us. We mainly attribute it to excellent location and quality of the housing offered. A few days after the sale of the apartments from the second stage had been launched, 20% of the apartments have been booked and others are subject to negotiation. At the beginning of November, we will release terraced houses priced from 20 to 36 million Czech crowns. These typical houses are displayed on the website and we are already negotiating with initial clients interested in this type of housing.

Which type is the most attractive for your clients?

Interest in the apartments is quite well balanced. We have successfully negotiated with clients interested in larger apartments such as 2- and 3-bedroom apartments with kitchenette, but the one-bedroom apartments also sell well. Most interest is, once again, shown in apartments that come with a view of Prague and/or with a front garden.

Are you also planning to offer services as you do in Šárecké údolí in the top‘ residence Pomezí?

Yes, we are, for this service is sought after by clients. top‘ residence Pomezí residents will also be able to use the services of the Chamberlain application, which is managed by the service company FM&S, being part of the KKCG Real Estate Group. Apart from the standard management of the housing blocks, they also offer the services of a handyman. The Chamberlain application will allow one to, for instance, arrange for cleaning and gardening services, a car wash, catering and others.

With regards to co-operation with renowned architects, your projects attract success in both local and international competitions. What awards have you received recently?

The first and second stages of the top‘ residence Šárecké údolí were awarded with the Public Award as real estate project of the year and the first stage then won second place in the Best of Realty competition from amongst the smaller projects; Bořislavka Centrum received several awards in the prestigious international competition International Property Awards, whereby the most significant is Best International Office Development; the first stage of top‘ residence Pomezí was awarded real estate project of 2019.

Bořislavka Centrum, which is nearing its completion, also belongs amongst successful projects…

The construction proceeds as per schedule even though with certain complications caused by COVID-19. Final building approval is scheduled for spring of 2021. Work on the facades and outdoor terraces is being completed, reconstruction of surfaces and the planting of greenery in the neighbouring streets is in progress and HVAC works in offices and retail are in full swing.

How do you manage to communicate with future tenants in these difficult times and what is the occupancy rate?

Some 96% of offices is leased. The lease of retail premises, which was well in motion at the beginning of this year, slowed considerably due to the coronavirus pandemic. Negotiations with potential tenants are lengthy as their priority is to maintain existing operations, which can be understood. Now, we have approximately 65% of income secured from the retail section of the project.

AK

Industrial development of the 21st century enters Ostrava

P3, the developer and manager of industrial properties, continue in their successful business expedition in the Czech Republic despite the coronavirus epidemic.

The company has great plans for Ostrava, where they are preparing to develop a modern multifunctional zone of the 21st century in a remediated brownfield in Vítkovice. We discussed the epidemic’s influence on the operation of industrial real estate and company’s future plans with Tomáš Míček, Director of the Czech branch of P3.

We cannot but ask, in current times, about the influence the coronavirus has on your business. Did the epidemic scramble the world of industrial development?

Coronavirus mainly brought changes to practically everyday site of the industrial real estate operation but those are practically standard by now – tightened up hygienic measures, regular disinfections of premises and others. We still haven’t introduced any over standard overall restrictions due to the versatility of our customers, but we rather approach each and all of them individually.

Will this situation show up somehow in the long term?

Production and storage premises have an irreplaceable role within the economic environment and demand for them will continue growing over the long term and steadily despite the current crisis. We always conclude tenancy agreements for several years and do not feel any fundamental drop in interest in leasing. On the contrary, in e-commerce sector, we monitor a slight growth. We haven’t changed our plans regarding the development of new projects much.

Do you assess the year 2020 — at least its first half – as a successful year from P3’s point of view?

Certainly. Only in the first half of the year, we leased 170,000 sq m of premises, completed 77,000 sq m and commenced construction of a further 22,000 sq m, which we consider successful due to the general insecurity that has swayed through our society. We, for instance, welcomed XLMX, PPG Deco, Müller Technik and M. Preymesser logistika amongst our tenants, and also expended our co-operation with our existing tenants such as DHL, DB Schenker, Pet Center and Sazka. The project, which I no doubt consider pivotal, even crucial, this year, is the currently prepared development of the multifunctional park in Ostrava, which is being prepared at a brownfield in Ostrava centre, next to the Vítkovice complex.

Why did you decide to build in Ostrava in particular? What business potential do you see in this location?

From a business point of view, Ostrava is ideal. Following Prague, it is the second largest agglomeration with a sufficient amount of labour force and represents a strategic logistics and industrial junction from the point of view of the Czech Republic as well as within the framework of the Baltic-Adriatic railway corridor, through which some 24 million tons of goods come every year. This decision was also supported by the highly suitable plot available for this project – I believe that tenants will demonstrate enormous interest in the industrial park situated in the centre of the industrial town.

Can you outline details of the project? What tenant structure would you consider ideal for such a park?

Developers do not just come across such an opportunity on a daily basis, so we would like to approach the park as a multifunctional zone of 21st century standards, which would be able to provide something to practically every tenant, whether it is retail, logistics or light production. Within the area of 160,000 sq m there will be 1,500 sq m to 35,000 sq m units. Those tenants specializing in the technical area such as logistics and light production will mainly appreciate its excellent connection to the D1 and D56 motorways and the I/11 A-road, high-capacity utility services within the complex and the potential to utilize the railway siding. Retail tenants will mainly find attractivity in the flexibility of the smaller units which can be utilized for storage facilities as well as a store or showroom. With regards to the location in the town centre and its good accessibility by public transportation, we can say that the retail premises will be highly sought after.

What can the locals expect from a park in this location?

The main contribution to Ostrava lies in the fact that the forty-hectare plot, which hasn’t been utilized in the long term and was left fallow will disappear from the surrounding development. The whole area was remediated and now can be revived again. The state and Vítkovice Group did a lot of work with regards to the remediation and preparation of the land for development and I would like to give them my thanks for that. In order to respect the history of this region and make the park fit the surrounding development, we co-operated on the project with local architect David Kotek, who is responsible for the design of many civic buildings within the region and prepared an ingeniously simple design that impressed us and we hope that Ostrava residents will also like it. We are at the birth of a project which is to state the direction in which the industrial development is to head in decades to come. We really do look forward to that!

PR

We expect a slowdown

The Prague office became a part of Bogle Architects in 2012 and has since mainly attended to projects in Czech and Slovakia.

The company is headed by Viktorie Součková, CEO, a graduate from UMPRUM, where she studied with Eva Jiřičná. Under her leadership, the architectural office’ studios produce various and often awarded luxurious residential as well as commercial projects. Their successful realisations include, for instance, the International Laser Centre ELI, the administrative building SmíchOFF, the residential complex Majakovského and the many times awarded buildings of Unique Staroměstská, both in Bratislava, and many others are under preparation.

We asked Viktorie about the current situation in the Prague office of Bogle Architects.

You were nominated for this year’s Building of the Year 2020 for your Šárecký dvůr project. Why did you enter with this particular project? And what other projects are currently being realized both in the Czech and Slovak Republics.

Šárecký dvůr is a unique residential project which very successfully combines historical and modern architecture. The project comprises two reconstructed immovable cultural sights and five new buildings, all well as being incorporated within the beautiful landscape of Šárecký Dvůr. We are currently working on the residential complex of Neugraf in Smíchov, Prague, and also offices and apartments at Astrid Gardens in Holešovice. Many other projects are under preparation. Worth mentioning is the Riverside project in Bratislava, the university building in Hradec Králové as well as the large multifunctional project in Prague 10 and many other projects, both smaller and large.

How did the ongoing pandemic affect your activities in the Czech and Slovak markets? Where do you see the main impact? How do you think the Czech real estate and development market be influenced by this unusual year?

None of our projects have so far been ceased. On the contrary. Everyone has, since summer, tried to catch up with what was not done between March and June, that is during the lockdown. We are working at full pace but we will wait to see what next year will bring. So far, I have only heard concerns about a slowdown. After all, we must realize that many people have lost their jobs during the pandemic and many companies from different segments are forced to deal with a lack of contracts. If people generally have less money, it will naturally have an influence on the real estate and development market. We will have to wait and see what influence. I think everyone expected ‘some sort of a slowdown’, which usually repeats over a ten-
-year cycle, but nobody probably expected the pandemic. Life and work will go on. We need to remain optimistic and look for new possibilities and opportunities.

Kristina Vacková

Keep calm, carry on and focus…

This year’s Development News magazine has chosen project Early Learning Village in Singapore as the Foreign Building of the Year, the creative design of the British studio Bogle Architects.

The architectural and design studio, founded in 2012 by Ian Bogle, is receiving awards worldwide. The team consists of a highly creative group of individuals sharing a common desire to design and build progressive, imaginative and innovative architecture. They work outside the studios in London and Prague and has another office in Hong Kong. He works in a wide range of prestigious domestic and international projects. The main philosophy of Bogle Architects is simple design solutions that solve the complexity of any project. The philosophy of practice is based on clarity of thought, broad involvement and the process of design collaboration in order to achieve a common goal.

We talked to the owner of the company, Ian Bogle, about the feelings from the award Stavba roku 2020.

What was your feeling to know that you became a winner of Czech prestige competition Stavba roku? How do you value that price and what does it mean for your international company?

 It is always nice to win any award as recognition by your peers is the best kind of appreciation. We’re now active in over 20 countries around the world so international recognition is very rewarding. 

Early Learning Village, Singapore – the project which got also the price of Development news. What is specific about this project? Who stands behind, and how would you introduce the project?

The building is a ‘one of a kind’ as a project on this scale, for early years’ children, has never been undertaken before. We had to go back to first principles of how to organize the circulation and way the building would work. This lead to placing the youngest children at the top, slightly counter intuitively, and the oldest at the lowest floors to minimise travel within the building. The articulation of the building’s form was driven directly out of the need for shading and for external play space off every single classroom. The ETFE canopies allow for weather protection all year around as while it is always hot in Singapore it also rains a lot!

      

The year 2020 is very specific due to the pandemic. How does that unusual situation affect the company, and how further impact do you see for whole real estate market in the countries you are active at?

It has certainly impacted on the amount of international travelling we would normally do as a business. The difficulties for designers working remotely is the fact that it’s not ideal for inspiration and the spark of creativity that happens sitting around a table. Sure, remote working has its place but it certainly not the future for designers who need to collaborate face to face – and not over the computer! We’ve seen the impact on sectors we didn’t expect particularly international schools where the uncertainty of the yearly intake has had an impact on decision making. We’ve also seen the life sciences sector increase in popularity and indeed there are covid testing and investigations going on in one of our buildings at the Oxford Science Park. 

What another project would you like to mention? What are you working on at the moment? Are your current projects affected by the pandemic crisis and how?

From our London studio, we’ve currently just completed a residential tower in Bogota, Colombia, nearly finished another ground-breaking school in Dubai, UAE and finishing off some student accommodation in Porto, Portugal. We also have some interesting residential projects in London, designing some unique projects in Saudi Arabia and recently added a really cool project in France to our portfolio. I’ll let Viktorie describe what we’re doing from our Prague studio.

What is your personal motto when it comes to your business activities?

Keep calm, carry on and focus … oh, and never give up trying to improve!

Kristina Vacková / Foto: © Infinitude

Development is heavily taxed in the CR but the money doesn’t go where it should

Developers’ fees for city and municipal treasury are nothing but a sector tax. That needs to be pointed out regardless of whether the developers agree with it or not.

This eventually always shows in the price of the product – apartments, administrative premises, storage and other buildings. What is, however, spoken little of is why this necessity actually originated. That is that it is about an entirely absurd replacement of money that developers and tax payers pay in taxes. Unfortunately, the money does not come from where it originates, that is into the budgets of relevant self-governments, but into the state treasury, which subsequently reallocates it unjustly and illogically. That means that the fees from development punish developers for poorly set budgetary tax assignment (RUD).

Absurd reallocation

We can demonstrate twisted the whole system is on an example in Prague. Development activities in the area of residential housing within the territory of the capital city of Prague achieved a turnover of approximately CZK 32.7 billion in 2019 (direct effect). As for other segments, this activity led to increased turnover by CZK 41.1 billion (indirect effect). Turnovers within the whole economy increased through paid salaries for work associated with both a direct and indirect effect by a further CZK 16.7 billion (induced effect). So, the overall influence of development activities in Prague reached a turnover of CZK 90.5 billion. In the case of added value, this represents an impact of CZK 30.6 billion. If we, however, look at information about nationwide tax collection in 2019, the elasticity of the individual tax types and the amount of stated numbers, we arrive at a shocking revelation. And that is that in 2019, CZK 14.2 billion was collected in Prague thanks to development and CZK 11.6 billion from that went straight to the state budget (that is more than 80%). CZK 0.7 billion went to the regions and CZK 1.9 billion to towns and municipalities. Prague, in particular, then gets approximately CZK 550 million from the total CZK 90.5 billion from the aforementioned tax collection. What can then be estimated in detail is the fact that this amount compiles CZK 198 million from income tax from natural persons, CZK 149 million from income tax from legal persons and CZK 198 million from value added tax. That means that Prague only got 0.49% back from the value that originated within its territory. And that is why they are looking to get money they could use for different purposes. Money for these were already paid via taxes but didn’t get where they should have.

How to get out?

The example that a well-set system can lead to correct solutions may be seen in Germany. Resulting from an analysis by the consultancy company KPMG is that a 25,000-sq m hall with 140 employees generates in Czech almost CZK 3 billion in taxes and insurance over 30 years; in Germany, it is over CZK 3.5 billion. But, whilst the Czech municipality gets CZK 15 million from the hall, the German one gets CZK 1.6 billion.

So, if we want to discuss the need of towns and municipalities in connection with their development, let’s not forget the basic issue: Developers have already paid their share in taxes. Dozens of billions of Czech crowns a year. Let’s not punish developers and their clients, ordinary residents of the apartments, people working in offices and logistics centres, warehouses and factories for a non-functional system, which relocates money absurdly. The right way lies in the direct interconnection of value in the place of its origin with the income of town and municipality budgets. Higher tax income for towns and municipalities could help pay necessities associated with their development and logically also improve relationship with townhalls and their representatives. And last but not least, they might, for instance, lead to a reduced price of apartments in the Czech Republic.

Tomáš Kadeřábek, Manager of the Association of Developers / photo: depositphotos

Firmly anchored between Heaven and Earth

Ing. Michal Voplakal, Company Director of JORDAHL & PFEIFER Stavební technika s.r.o., believes that work on state procurements represents an obligation for a future generation.

We must use the best technologies and knowledge just as with development projects. Keeping to deadlines is, due to problems that have arisen in the building industry as a result of COVID-19, only a beginning,” he says. This also applies to the new suspended footbridge, which is safely and securely anchored by PFEIFER cables and tension rods in the protected landscape area of Svatošské Rocks, which will welcome its first visitors ahead of time.

The Ohře River cuts into the granite massif near Karlovy Vary and creates a deep canyon. Gradual erosion formed a group of massive rock pillars, which human fantasy turned into the wedding procession of Jan Svatoš. This young man promised himself, according to legend, to a water nymph but did not keep to his promise and was turned into stone with all his procession. This beautiful place located in the middle of nature is a popular tourist destination and is visited by hundreds of cyclists and pedestrians a day during pleasant summer days. The original footbridge, which crowds of romantic lovers used to get to the rocks, is becoming worn out and a new one is necessary for safety. “Commencing construction in time of the busiest tourist season strengthened by the previous quarantine restriction was quite a challenge,” says Michal Voplakal with regards to the situation from the middle of this July.

Footbridges are pedestrian overpasses and structural engineers partially turn into architects during their construction and vice versa. The structure has such static reserves so that the footbridge fulfils its function even with one damaged cable suspender, which can happen during an accident or replacement of tension system members. The load-bearing capacity of the main load-bearing PFEIFER cables are hundreds of tons and the same applies to its lifespan, which is suggested for the structure of the footbridge. The traditional producer of the first-class steel cables PFEIFER is represented in the Czech market by JORDAHL & PFEIFER Stavební technika s.r.o. “All our components assist the structural engineers to fulfil their difficult mission – a lifelong responsibility,” reminds Michal Voplakal. The new footbridge constructed via investment from the Karlovy Vary region will also serve the integrated safety system for which access has so far been complicated. That also fits into J&P’s philosophy – safe structural solutions, which speed up construction time and make invested more efficient. Come and see for yourselves.

PR

The first Austrian laboratories and offices from wood

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

Wisła vision: How did it come up

I used to go to the Polish town of Wisła to see the sculptor Grzegorz Michałek-Janosik for whom I organized an exhibition of his wooden sculptures at the Centre of City of the Future at CIIRC ČVUT last year.

 

One evening we were coming back from a bar in the largest hotel in Wisła, which stands out over the town as does an ocean liner over a port. I looked down at the town that spread out below us. Just in front of us, in the vicinity of the house where my friend Grzegorz lives and has his studio, I spotted a large undeveloped area. I gave it some thought and gave Grzegorz a rhetorical question: It would be a great plot for development, wouldn’t it? Do you know who owns it? And he just answered innocently and started to laugh: My father-in-law. A few more months passed before we met with Grzegorz’s father-in-law Jerzy Stańko. Already during our first meeting I wished we could work on this project.

 

Local patriot a developer

Jerzy purchased the plot more than 20 years ago. At that time, everyone wondered why he did that. When they later realised, those, who had wondered before, were clutching their heads as they are the only plots that can be actually be built on in the town centre to this extent.

What was important for Jerzy was that he was born and lived near Wisła and it is his heart’s issue to build something here and leave it to his children. He was fortunate that he was doing so well in business. After our discussion and presentation of my idea as to how to develop the area, we came to an agreement and, on this occasion, also went to visit the mayor. We agreed that we would also include within the project land, which is situated in this area and could become a part of the new business and cultural centre of the town of Wisła. We agreed that the assignment would also include an experimental theatre and common underground garages; the whole project will naturally have connection to the existing outline plan. Within the framework of that, there will also be applied those necessary changes that would allow the project to be realized for the benefit of the whole town.

 

Coronavirus postponed everything

The next consultation with the mayor and other town representatives played an important part when forming this particular area and preparation of the final proposal. The result can be seen in a visualization and animation video, which was executed by Studio Horák. The aim was to create an idea about an architectural-urban arrangement of the whole area and its possible functional utilization. The architecture of individual buildings will be dealt with within the projects for individual buildings. What was important was to define the area from a spatial point of view and determine set limits. The study assumes that a major part of the parterre will comprise a pedestrian zone with shops, bars, restaurants and units providing visitors with other services and with minimal disturbance from individual automobile transportation. There is also a plan to fit the whole project with intelligent technologies, which are to help optimize all processes that are to take place there, in connection with its neighbourhood.

The whole process was slowed by the situation with COVID-19. We are currently waiting for presentation to the town of Wisła. The client had a presentation video completed, which shows that it is not only one of many development projects whose aim is to gain maximum profit but that it is a project with which the person who grew up there wants to contribute to the thriving development of the town and also have respect to its past development and genius loci.

Michal Postránecký / visualization: studio horák

Wisła Riverside Citywalk

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 21st 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.

red

Corporate parking in towns

Many cities practice a strong restrictive parking policy within the municipality’s territory. This restriction has a significant influence on both, residents and corporate entities. Whilst it represents a positive change for the residents, businesses are almost always affected by regulating measures via increased financial costs.

 More and more people currently use a car, which naturally comes with traffic issues. Especially parking in restricted zones tends to be difficult. Demand for parking places exceeds supply and creates excess pressure. Municipal councils therefore often try to deal with parking problems through employing restrictive measures.

Zones complicate parking for business

Prague can be seen as an example as government is trying to prevent these parking problems by introducing paid parking zones. And apart from the city centre, where introduction of the restrictions can be justifiable due to the protection of a conservation area, these also tend to be seen in more restricted parts of the city. Most zones are exclusively intended for residents or their use can be subject to a charge. Zone regulation is, however, one-sided as it only represents improvement for local residents.

What is positive for permanent residents is, on the other hand, redeemed by the suffering of companies whose business can be really aggravated by the parking zones. Companies whose offices are in a particular part have the possibility to use parking zones for parking but the price is much higher than that for residents – and for many companies completely unbearable, not to mention the possible parking places for their customers. System revision and a change of conceptual solution is not in sight and that is why some companies try to find a way to avoid paying exorbitant fees and also to park more comfortably. All these entities are offered as a solution from GREEN Centre.

Solution for private plots

Some companies dispose with land that they use as a parking place for their vehicle fleet. Prior to the realization of paid parking zones, it was not necessary to somehow fence these areas off public areas. But the extensive introduction of zone parking tends to be used more and more by drivers who try to avoid paying for parking. Private land can be fitted with automatic parking barriers, which prevent unwanted persons from entering. The barriers can be controlled via remote controls, which is to allow entrance to their holders only – employees, customers, distributors and partners.

Companies based in buildings with a central yard can use yard areas for parking. These buildings tend to have a problem with insufficient courtyard entries where it is impossible for vehicles to pass in both directions. Saving passages on internal roads with a one-way entry can be solved by controlled transport system. Transport control monitors the presence of vehicles in a particular area and regulates their entry and exit on the basis of received information.

… as well as underground garages

Another solution represents the construction of an underground garage. Garage entry is fitted with a sliding gate controlled by a contactless card reader. Entry is only permitted to identification card holders. The company therefore has direct control over the utilization of parking premises. With regards to often restricted spatial layouts in garage entrances, a transport control system can also find its use there.

Most parking possibilities are, however, naturally available for developers and companies who decide to construct an entirely new property. Newly constructed buildings don’t need to be restricted to the use of simple parking systems but can also employ more complex solutions. Entrance and exit to and from the parking premises can be fitted with camera system for reading registration plates, which can secure speedy and comfortable drive through on basis of their automatic recognition. Extensive and large capacity garages can be fitted with navigation system for finding vacant parking places, navigating drivers via information displays and light signals to the nearest parking space, which reduces the driving to vacant space considerably. Commercial buildings can also be fitted with a system for automatic parking charge collection. Car parks fitted with comprehensive parking systems are to provide the users with the highest parking comfort.

PR