Hradec Králové announced a competition for architects for a new square on the site of the former leather tannery

Hradec Králové - The city of Hradec Králové has announced an architectural and urban planning competition for a new square and residential building in the Kukleny district. It will be located on the site of the former leather factory and is set to become the center of the developing neighborhood on the western edge of the city. The deadline for the first round of the competition is February 6, as outlined in the competition requirements. The city hall aims to have the results of the architectural competition by spring next year.

Architects, in addition to the New Kukleny square, are to design a residential block for the cooperative housing planned by the city. The apartment building would be located at Pražská třída and the new square. Architects will need to incorporate the chimney of the former leather factory into the square.

The entire area of the Kukleny brownfield, covering nearly 14 hectares, has exceptional potential for the creation of a new center for the neighborhood, which could provide homes for nearly 1,900 people, according to the city hall. The architectural competition addresses an area of over half a hectare, of which more than half is to be occupied by the cooperative apartment block. The remainder will be used for the new square.

The architectural competition is in two rounds. On February 6, an expert jury will select five concepts from the submitted proposals in an anonymous mode, whose authors' teams will be invited by the city hall to submit more detailed proposals.

The decaying structure of the former 19th-century leather factory was demolished by the city in 2023. Only the chimney remains as a reminder of the extensive factory complex built from bare brick. In 2014, the city had the characteristic clock tower removed from the factory hall, which is now stored in a warehouse at the airport. Architects will be able to incorporate the tower and the brick masonry from the demolished structures into their designs.

Nearby, the Hradec development company Noho previously announced a housing project with approximately 220 apartments. The first building, Cihlovka 1, with 22 apartments, was built by the company in Kukleny in 2021, and the Cihlovka 2 building, with 48 apartments, was completed in 2023. Investor Pavel Ludvík is planning a building with 74 apartments near the future square. Recently, the Thera apartment building with 65 apartments also rose close to Cihlovka.

In response to the growing housing development in Kukleny, the city hall has constructed a park behind the branch of the city library on Pražská třída. The construction of the park, costing nearly 12 million crowns without VAT, is in the final phase. At the same time, the city is preparing the restoration of the Malý Labský náhon, which will enhance the area's flood protection.