Instead of a factory for engines, a new district is to be created in Jinonice

Prague - An industrial complex with a long tradition in Prague Jinonice is set to be transformed into a new urban district according to today’s plans within the next five years. This new district will primarily consist of residential buildings and administrative buildings, as well as newly created green spaces and a museum of Czech industry. Prague and the developer today presented the plan for the transformation of the complex as a good example of repurposing old industrial complexes, known as brownfields.
    The revitalization of the industrial complex is interesting in this case, according to Mayor Pavel Bém, because the established brand remains preserved with the change of the function of the building. The Walter factory has been producing aircraft engines in Jinonice since 1923; the developer, which is the Irish company Red Group and is already located in the Jinonice complex, has purchased new premises for the factory in Letňany.
    The mayor today estimated the investment for the redevelopment of the area at ten billion crowns. Part of the change in function of the complex will also include the remediation of areas contaminated by production. A city representative said today that the company has the full support of the Ministry of Finance for the cleanup of pollution.
    A change in the zoning plan is necessary to start construction. However, the first part of the transformation of the entire area can begin earlier - that being the reconstruction of former film studios. The site housed studios before the establishment of the Barrandov studios and belonged to the Foja company - the new residential area will also bear its name.
    Architect Václav Červenka from the PH5 studio has planned the reconstruction of several industrial buildings and added three residential towers approximately 20 meters high. "The heritage protectors saw it and there are no objections from them," he told ČTK. In designing the area, he was guided by the film memory of the place and the motto “Factory of Dreams.”
    The entire Waltrovka area spans 21 hectares and will be filled with three types of houses instead of industrial halls. However, they will not be constructed according to the PH5 project but according to the plans of the Ian Bryan Architects studio.
    Around the noisy and busy Radlická street, a belt of administrative buildings will be created, which should form a visual and noise barrier for residential buildings. Part of these structures will be a museum, which will be created from one of the original buildings, and the original interiors of the Walter company’s management offices will also be made accessible.
    Further from the road, there will be residential buildings with inner blocks and solitary villas on a green hill, which, according to the investor, should connect in character to the villa development from the 1930s.
    Former industrial areas are, according to experts, an alternative to newly emerging suburban developments. These modern "ghettos" are considered, according to architects, urban planners, and sociologists, to be a source of major social problems in the future, as they often feature very low, if any, architectural quality and do not respect the landscape.
    Former factories and, in the Czech Republic, even former military spaces have a great advantage - they are usually well connected to transportation networks; industrial facilities are often located right in cities. This provides a wide range of possible uses. However, their problems often consist of ecological burdens or property rights issues arising from privatization.
    In the Czech Republic, there are several thousand former industrial facilities that could be reconstructed and repurposed for new purposes.