The appearance of the surroundings of Gočárovy Mills will be designed by the studio UNIT architects

Pardubice - The future appearance of the Mill Island in Pardubice is in the hands of the Prague studio UNIT architects, which was selected by an expert jury in the competition. After the city council confirms the winner, a regulatory plan for the new Pardubice district will be developed. The UNIT architects office succeeded in the competition against two other conceptual studies, Iveta Koubková from the press department of the city hall informed ČTK today.

The city wants to create a regulatory plan in the area where the national cultural monument, the Automatic Mills designed by architect Josef Gočár, is located. The winner was determined by the chosen scale of development, variability, proposed typology of the buildings, and accessibility of the area. "Moreover, the proposal is understandable and readable, thus fulfilling the main requirement of the city that the new vision for Mill Island motivates the owners, the key stakeholders of the area, and the broader Pardubice public to participate in its realization," stated the mayor of the city, Martin Charvát (ANO).

The winning urban design offers a system of smaller compositional units, smaller compared to urban blocks, including apartment buildings and family houses. A square is proposed in front of the last historical building on the left side of Na Ležánkách street. "It will serve as a focal point between the mills, new and existing buildings, and at the same time as a meeting place for new residents and locals," said architect David Tichý from the winning studio.

The jury also appreciated the elaboration of the transportation concept of the proposal, which took into account the high groundwater level complicating the construction of underground garages. The concept presented five parking options depending on the type of development. A new public transport stop is also proposed directly at the new Mill Square.

The Automatic Mills were built between 1909 and 1911 according to the design of architect Josef Gočár. Additional extensions took place in the 1920s and 1960s. The site has been abandoned since spring 2013. The Austrian company GoodMills unsuccessfully offered the mills to the city and later sold them through a real estate agency using a bidding method. Architect Lukáš Smetana and his wife acquired them for 25 million crowns at the end of last year.