Ostrava: In the Lower Area, Pleskot's transformation of the gas holder has begun

Night view, visualization

Ostrava - The heritage-protected gas holder in the Lower Area of Vítkovice in Ostrava has begun to change its appearance these days. The transformation of the structure built in 1921 started with lifting its sunken upper part weighing approximately 800 tons. The so-called bell is expected to rise 13 meters over the course of two weeks. Project leader Aleš Zemánek told reporters today. By 2012, the national cultural monument will be transformed into a multifunctional center according to the design of architect Josef Pleskot.
    A massive steel structure with a diameter of 70 meters is being lifted by 16 hydraulic presses in parallel. The bell is being raised gradually by eight centimeters - it moves about 46 centimeters in approximately 3.5 hours. Forty workers are involved in this demanding lifting operation. By January 25, it should regain the shape it lost after 1998 when it ceased to function as a blast furnace gas holder.
    "When the gas holder was built, precision was not prioritized, as no one planned for its different use. Therefore, since November, we have been eliminating inaccuracies so that we can lift the bell. The irregular structure complicates this, but we should manage it within 14 days," Zemánek told ČTK.
   

Model

According to Pleskot's design, the original steel structure of the gas holder will be preserved. "We will bring light into it from above through a glass cupola. During the lifting, a gigantic window also appeared and, importantly, one quarter of the outer shell, which is currently on the ground, will be replaced with glass," the architect told ČTK.
    The initiation of the gas holder's transformation holds symbolic significance for the revitalization of the entire Lower Area. "We are driving away the sadness and trauma associated with the fact that many people lost their jobs when Ostrava ceased to be a pulsating steel city," the architect said to ČTK. According to him, the transformation of the gas holder brings hope that similar structures can begin to serve people instead of remaining a sad heritage memento.
    Inside the gas holder, which will be over 30 meters high, a multifunctional center will be created, featuring a congress hall for 1,500 people and a gallery of 1,000 square meters. "After the bell is raised and its internal restoration, construction work will follow. We will start building at the turn of March and April," said Petr Koudela, the director of the association Lower Area Vítkovice (DOV), to ČTK.
    The costs for the transformation of the gas holder will amount to around 270 to 300 million crowns. It is the most expensive construction within the half-billion grant that the association received for the renovation of three monuments in the industrial area near the center of Ostrava - the gas holder, the sixth energy center, and one of the three blast furnaces.
    The DOV association, whose members include companies from the VÍTKOVICE MACHINERY GROUP and the technical university in Ostrava, is investing over a billion CZK this year into the transformation of the Lower Area of Vítkovice. It plans to gradually restore the entire industrial complex - the development project New Vítkovice will require up to 60 billion CZK. A cultural and social complex with scientific workplaces, a unique World of Technology, a university center, possibly a regional scientific library, and public sports facilities will be created there.