In the new Organica building in Ostrava, costing 1.5 billion, up to 2500 people could work

Ostrava – Up to 2500 people could work in the newly opened administrative building Organica in Ostrava, which cost 1.5 billion crowns to build. It has 26,000 m² of office, commercial, and other spaces. Martin Budina, project director of the developer group Contera, which is behind the construction, told reporters today. The largest tenant in the building is the IT supplier Tietoevry, which moved there from the nearby Tieto Tower (now IQ Ostrava) and occupies about two-thirds of the building.

Organica stands between the shopping center Forum Nová Karolina and the Trojhalí halls on the site of the former coking plant. It has six above-ground floors and an underground parking lot with more than 300 spaces. The design of the building with organic shapes is the work of the Schindler Seko Architects studio. Both the authors and the developer describe the building as exceptional in both the Czech and European context and one of the smartest buildings in the Czech Republic. "We have intelligent air conditioning that sends fresh air exactly to the places where it is most needed. There is a smart parking system that guides you via a mobile app to the exact parking space designated for you," Budina said.

According to him, Organica also suitably complements the spaces of Bishop Bruno Square. "It creates an interesting contrast between the historic building of Trojhalí and such a strictly rectangular concept of a shopping center," Budina stated. The entire project is also designed to be sustainable. "I can mention things like irrigating outdoor greenery using rainwater. The building has solar panels, which is not yet typical for these types of buildings, ensuring a certain level of energy self-sufficiency," he added.

Organica took two years to build. During the coronavirus pandemic, the construction was complicated by disrupted supply chains. However, according to Budina, the biggest complications occurred last February. "After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we faced a sudden and absolutely unprecedented rise in construction material prices, as well as an acute shortage of them. The same applied to human resources," he said.

According to Budina, Organica is already over 80 percent occupied. About 4000 m² of office space and some commercial spaces are still available. The building was designed from the beginning to meet the needs of the employees of the largest tenant, Tietoevry. Radka Peráčková from Tietoevry said that the company moved about 2000 employees into the building, with nearly 3000 people in total in the Czech Republic.

"The space is more open, providing much more opportunity for meetings and team collaboration. We have employees who work five days a week from office spaces, we have employees who work in the office one or two days and need to meet. The hybrid model allows them to combine working from home and from the office," Peráčková stated.

Contera also owns and operates two industrial areas in Ostrava. It has other industrial parks in Mošnov in Novojičínsko, Brno, Prague, or Teplice and in Slovakia. It specializes in the redevelopment and revitalization of brownfields. Organica is the pilot project of administrative development for Contera.