The Liberec Region is preparing the reconstruction of the second building of the former VÚTS

Liberec - The Liberec Region is preparing the reconstruction of the second building of the former VÚTS (formerly the Research Institute of Textile Machines). Just before the elections, they announced a competition for the development of project documentation. The costs for the reconstruction of the former workshop building are preliminarily estimated at 180 to 190 million crowns. The building has almost 20,000 square meters of usable space. Offices, as well as garages, restaurants, a business incubator, archives, and warehouses are expected to be established there, as stated in the public procurement bulletin.

The Liberec Region purchased the former VÚTS buildings along with adjacent land in the autumn of 2014. They paid nearly 125 million crowns for the area covering over 11,000 square meters. In the former administrative building constructed in the 1930s in the functionalist style with elements of art deco and expressionism according to the design of architect Oskar Baudisch, a European House is being created. The reconstruction, costing 93 million crowns, is underway, aiming to restore the building from the 1920s to its former uniqueness. The work is expected to be completed in March next year.

For the larger building of the former workshops, the economy of the entire project will be decisive, ensuring that operational costs do not burden the regional budget. "We would like to retain the business space that is currently functioning there. There is a printing house, a long-term good tenant. We would also like to create something like an innovation center, a business incubator," said Governor Martin Půta (STAN) to ČTK. According to Luboš Novák, the owner of the company MemBrain, which established an innovation center focused on membrane technologies in Stráž pod Ralskem, the innovation center should help discover young talented individuals and facilitate their collaboration with industrial enterprises.

According to the governor, the project's goal is also to revitalize the area around the regional office, as the access to the office and pedestrian access are not ideal. The lack of parking spaces around the office is another issue; therefore, the construction of a parking house is planned. The region is also negotiating with the city about purchasing a long-neglected grove in close proximity, which they would like to have cultivated. The magistrate demands the market price, and the regional council is expected to discuss the purchase at its last meeting before the elections at the end of September. "I will convince the councilors that we should buy it for 2.5 million crowns to turn it into a park," said Půta.