The Antracit Group announced a competition for the use of the former Hotel Palace in Ostrava

Ostrava - The developer group Antracit has announced an international architectural and urban planning competition for the use of the former Hotel Palace complex in the center of Ostrava. The competition is announced as a non-anonymous dialogue. Interested parties can submit applications until June 6, and the investor wants to know the new shape of the complex by November. The expected investment costs amount to 600 million crowns, and the completion of the construction is anticipated in 2030. This was announced today by Antracit’s marketing manager Michaela Dvořáková.

"The goal of the competition is to find a design that connects the historical value of the site with contemporary needs and creates a vibrant city block with a combination of rental housing, services, modern amenities, and possibly hotel capacities. The subject of the competition is the solution of the entire building block," Dvořáková stated.

The assignment and documents are available on the platform CCEA MOBA, which specializes in architectural competitions. The jury, which will include renowned architects along with representatives of the investor, will meet on June 16 and select five teams to advance to the competitive dialogue. These five teams will share a reward of 2.65 million crowns.

"Our aim is to attract a wide range of studios and thus obtain a diverse array of proposals. We are looking for a partner who can help us bring the project from design to successful realization," stated the director of the Antracit group, Zuzana Bajgarová.

Hotel Palace, opened in 1913 as Hotel National, was one of the most luxurious hotels in Austria-Hungary. The complex consists of several buildings. In the second half of the last century, the originally Art Nouveau buildings underwent insensitive reconstruction, which is why they were not declared cultural monuments, except for the part where the National café used to be located.

Since the 1990s, the complex had been empty and faced demolition. Life returned to the building in 2016 with the project for the student residence Kampus Palace, but a larger part of the complex remained empty and continued to deteriorate.

The Antracit group, which is part of the investment holding Purposia Group, purchased the complex five months ago. The reconstruction is planned to be divided into several phases, gradually bringing individual parts into operation. The operation of the student accommodation Kampus Palace will continue unchanged.

"Hotel Palace has a chance to become part of life in Ostrava again, a place that will be open and vibrant. We believe that through the competitive dialogue, we will find a sensitive and at the same time bold solution for its future," said the managing director of Antracit and chairman of the board of the Purposia Group holding, Jan Hasík.

The concept is primarily focused on rental housing. It includes designer small apartments, for which variable solutions are expected. There is also consideration of allocating part of the building for a hotel with a capacity of 100 to 120 rooms and an open ground floor, where the investor anticipates the creation of a public space with shops or gastronomy.

"One of the key motives of the design is to create an inner courtyard or passage that connects the building with the structure of the surrounding city. The assignment takes maximum respect for the historical character of the building," Dvořáková stated.

The Ostrava holding Purposia Group deals with the entire cycle of construction projects from design and development through construction to property management. The holding includes 42 companies, which employ over 250 people. Last year, the holding achieved total revenues of 3.6 billion crowns and an operating profit before depreciation (EBITDA) of 360 million crowns according to preliminary results.