The Ostrava district of Žofinka will begin construction next fall

Ostrava - The first phase of the new Ostrava district Žofinka, which is to be built on the site of the former slag heap of the Žofinská steelworks, will begin next autumn. It will be developed according to the design of the Danish studio Adept, which won the architectural competition. The public can now familiarize themselves with the appearance of the future development at a panel exhibition in the courtyard of the Nová Karolina Park building, which will be accessible until October 6. This was announced to journalists today by representatives of the investor.

The project for the district, which is to be created on an unused brownfield between the city center, the Ostravice River, and the Lower Vítkovice area, is backed by the company Pod Žofinkou Holding, which was also the organizer of the architectural competition. Its aim was to find a suitable urban solution and to sensitively integrate the new district into the city's organism.

"We were seeking a solution that takes into account the character of the area, the significance of the location for the city, and the needs of its residents. Apart from apartments, the new district should also offer residents a school, greenery, quality architecture, and spaces for community life. The proposals also include transportation infrastructure connected to the public transportation network and the development of pedestrian and cycling routes,” stated Tomáš Laštovka, a member of the board of the Pod Žofinkou Holding company.

The architectural competition attracted both Czech and foreign studios. Seven proposals advanced to the first round, while three progressed to the second round. In early June, the company announced the results of the urban-architectural competition, in which two proposals succeeded. Further negotiations were held with both winners, ultimately deciding on the Danish architecture and urbanism studio Adept, which submitted its design in collaboration with Czech partners ohboi, atelier.tečka, VEN.KU architekti, Vectura Pardubice, and Afry. According to Laštovka, the Adept studio was ultimately chosen because it demonstrated a high degree of flexibility.

The first phase, construction of which is to begin next year, includes approximately 340 apartments and basic infrastructure. Costs are expected to be around one billion crowns. Architect Martin Laursen told journalists that the aim of their project was to connect the city and nature. It is divided into three parts. The first is called Living Žofinka, which is intended to be the green center of the new district, the second is named Connected Žofinka and includes the infrastructure, and the third, Colorful Žofinka, which, in addition to apartments, also accounts for additional facilities such as shops or offices.

"Communication with the city's residents is extremely important to us. We highly value that they had the opportunity to get involved during the architectural competition. Public opinion is one of the key factors in similar projects that we always take into account, and in this case, it is particularly true,” Laursen added.

The district is to be gradually built over approximately 20 years. The Žofinka brownfield covers an area of about 20 hectares.