In Brno, the construction of apartments worth half a billion will be extended due to COVID-19

Brno - In Brno, the construction of two buildings with 116 apartments for seniors and young people will be extended by two months due to the coronavirus. The project, costing over half a billion crowns, is the largest investment by the city in residential construction in the past ten years, said Mayor's deputy Jiří Oliva (ČSSD) today to ČTK. According to the main construction manager Svatopluk Dolák, issues caused by the coronavirus have led to delays in construction, such as a decrease in foreign workers or a halt in supplies from abroad. Nevertheless, people could move in this fall. The buildings will also include a library and a café. A total of 155 parking spaces have been created.

Construction began in July 2018. It was originally scheduled to finish in June this year, but the completion date will be pushed to August. The reason is the problems caused by the coronavirus. "Employees were home with children, for example. Some businesses were also closed, and supplies from abroad stopped or were delayed in construction. There are also foreign workers on the construction sites who have traveled away, so we had to complicatedly search for replacements," Dolák listed the difficulties. According to him, technical teams had to be rotated, but the construction did not stop despite the complications.

A total of 30 apartments will serve young couples and families. The rest will be for seniors in the form of assisted living apartments, with 14 apartments for seniors being barrier-free. "For both groups, the rent will be reduced by nearly 62 crowns per square meter," Oliva stated. The apartments will be sized 2+kk, 1+kk, and also 2+1, noted architect Martin Rudiš.

The two buildings have four floor blocks, an internal atrium, and a shared ground floor with a basement. In addition to seniors and young people, the new buildings will accommodate an assisted living service, a cultural and educational center, a branch of the Jiří Mahen Library, a café, and there will also be a public restroom. Between the two buildings, there will be a park for the public and a playground. The construction includes 155 parking spaces that tenants and the public can subscribe to.

Brno manages nearly 30,000 apartments, which is about 15 percent of the total housing stock in the city. The rest is privately owned.