The new neighborhood in Náchod will be designed according to the proposal by architects from Poland

Náchod – A group of four architects from Poland won the international architectural-urban planning competition of the city of Náchod for the use and development of land from the former textile factory Tepna near the city center. The city hall received 26 proposals from architects from both the Czech Republic and abroad. Five studios advanced to the second final round. The results, as decided by the jury, were announced by the city hall today.

The judges declared the Polish team's proposal, consisting of Piotr Person, Olga Czeranowska-Panufnik, Wladyslawa Kijewska, and Aleksander Sojka from Warsaw, to be the best. According to their design, a nearly three-hectare urban quarter named Nová Tepna should be created in the area near the Náchod Castle in the future.

The winning team is expected to develop a territorial study and architectural design for the buildings that the city specifies by the end of this year. "It will also be important to create a management team of people who will oversee, coordinate the entire project, and lead negotiations with developers, investors, banks, and other institutions. Furthermore, it will be necessary to create completely new infrastructure in this area," said Deputy Mayor Jan Čtvrtečka.

The strategic plot near the Náchod Castle, covering 2.57 hectares, was purchased by the city in June 2018 from JTH Holding for nearly 56 million crowns. After the purchase, the city hall had piles of rubble from the demolished Tepna cleared away. Subsequently, the city began preparing the architectural competition, which was announced last May. The announcement of the competition was preceded by consultations with experts, the public, relevant authorities, and potential investors.

According to the city hall, Nová Tepna should be a showcase for urbanism in the Czech Republic and a testament to the public sector's ability to tackle complicated former industrial areas in city centers. "The aim of the competition was to create a vibrant and valued part of the city that connects to the historical center," stated the city hall.

The winning proposal includes buildings for housing, administration, shops, services, a kindergarten, and a community center. It also includes a place for a fire station and emergency services, or a potential research technology center. On the edge of the zone, there are plans for light manufacturing buildings. The architects emphasized a large amount of green space and water features.

According to the competition winners, their proposal focuses on climate adaptability and social cohesion. "The main idea of the design is to create a comfortable, inclusive, and rejuvenating environment," they stated.

According to the chairman of the jury, architect Jaroslav Wertig from the Prague studio A69, the Polish architects best understood the relationships in the area. "The establishment of two axes, which logically and clearly emerge from the proposed square by Tepna, divides the area into urban blocks. The plan is simple and clear, respecting existing buildings and property relations in the area to a large extent. Individual building blocks can be gradually filled over time, and it is not necessary to build them all at once," he said.

"We are beginning to create a completely unique project - a new district right in the center of Náchod. I am pleased that the future shape of it was decided by the citizens themselves, whose wishes were reflected in the winning proposal," said Mayor Jan Birke (ČSSD).

The second place in the competition was awarded to a Czech team under the auspices of the architectural office gogolák+grasse. The third place was occupied by a group of four architects from Moscow. The author of the winning proposal will receive a reward of one million crowns. The second place receives a reward of 750,000 crowns, and the third place receives half a million. The remaining two participants in the second round will each receive 200,000 crowns.