The Swedish studio won the design competition for the surroundings of the lake near Ústí

Ústí nad Labem - The Swedish architectural firm Mandaworks AB won an international landscape-urbanism-architecture competition for Lake Milada near Ústí nad Labem. In addition to a financial award, it received the opportunity to work on a conceptual study and other projects in collaboration with the Ústí Fuel Combine (PKÚ), which manages the area after brown coal mining.

Fifteen teams entered the competition announced a year ago. In January, an expert jury selected three teams to develop specific proposals. "The winner was determined by the greatest respect for the values defined in the Milada vision. It was a brilliantly interconnected concept addressing essential sustainable development. The concept and the idea for its subsequent realization were appropriately arranged," said Petr Kubiš, Deputy Director of PKÚ and jury member, to ČTK.

The winning team gained the right to negotiate subsequent contracts. The conceptual study will refine the proposal, create stages for implementation, calculate financial demands, and so on. "If this document is accepted by all partners, including our founder, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, it should become the basic guiding document according to which the area will be developed," Kubiš stated.

The second contract for the winners involves the development of a so-called design manual for the area, a document that should unify architecture in the region. All investments should then adhere to it. The third contract involves preparing project documentation for a specific construction project contained in the proposal, such as an observation tower or rest area. "This should show the public that something is happening; we won't wait three years for a major construction project to be prepared; we want a tangible project that will demonstrate the qualities of the chosen solution," Kubiš said.

The Swedish studio will also be updating the spatial study for Lake Milada. "We must find a way for the Ústí Region to accept the study and for the winning team to process it," Kubiš added. The fifth area of cooperation is consultancy work.

According to the jury, the winning proposal most effectively considers the current state and provides very concrete solution proposals. "The concept is not based on megalomaniacal new buildings or complexes; it is flexible and therefore not primarily dependent on economic conditions - thus, the proposal appears distinctly feasible," the jury concluded in its evaluation. The public can view the proposals, including the winning one, at the Ústí Museum.

"It is a tremendous honor to be on the winner's podium," stated Cyril Pavlů from Mandaworks AB. "We contemplated whether to look forward or backward. We decided that the past can be an inspiration for the future," he added. They named their proposal "Living Landscape." It includes several structures in the landscape, such as a viewing tower, rest area, and installations on the lake. The area is divided into space exclusively for nature, sports facilities, recreation, and a place for construction called New Vyklice. Vyklice was one of the villages that was demolished due to mining.

Lake Milada was formed by flooding a brown coal mine. The decision to end mining was made thirty years ago; in 2010, the filling process was completed, and five years later, it opened to the public, quickly gaining many fans among tourists, athletes, and naturalists.

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