We propose a construction of both public and private buildings in more or less traditional urban form. Apartment buildings with workshops, mercantile, shared spaces on the ground floor. On higher floors, there are flats of varying sizes, for various groups of users. The houses have gardens in inner blocks, which can be approached either through the house or right from the street.
We propose an extension of the historical factory building “Linserka” with a generous universal hall. The hall and various levels of the extension can be used in numerous ways, as per the needs of the creative city quarter.
An overwhelming majority of Papírák is a residential zone. This solution enables us to free the public space from division caused by other transport classifications. Thus, we open the public space to people instead of making it subservient to transport classification. In this simple solution, there lies a primary way of finding a necessary universality and usability of shared public spaces!
We create the unique character of the quarter especially by keeping the scale of buildings rather small, and by traces of historical blocks.

The scale of Papírák is not determined by regulations and sizes of automobiles and their operation, the scale of Papírák is human, determined by the needs of a human – a pedestrian, a cyclist, a runner, a neighbour. We divide the blocks in a traditional way – a house / a wall, private / public – with clearly defined borders. We use traditional materials and develop the theme of water and trees in the streets.

Overall locality solution

That the complex of the former sugar factory, given its position and size, can have an absolutely crucial impact on the future development of Šlapanice, is clear. While it is, at the moment, situated outside the center of the town’s social life, which is, obviously, located around the Masarykovo sq., Zámečnického sq. and the grammar school triangle, it, however, lies on the historical link between this triangle and the train station, next to the policlinic and the football fields. The ultimate argument is simply to acknowledge the sheer size of its area, which allows for a variety of uses, sure to influence the life of many a town. However, there are several “buts,” significantly affecting future development and potential power of the new town center. Ecological burdens, which complicate spatial arrangement and limit the use of new areas, and, to some extent, uncertainity about the investing power of the town, as well as an absence of a specific assignment.

Granary

Mainly defensive nature of granaries, protecting what’s inside against unwanted climatic effects as well as against strangers, creates, on purpose, a feeling of something inaccessible, closed inwardly into itself. With openings functioning primarily as a means of ventilation, a granary can be imagined as a windowless house. This design aims to offer a new understanding without a significant loss of the original substance, while preserving the image of the house. From closed to open, from technical to civic, from silent to speaking. In the rhythm of present tectonic of the facade, the house opens social spaces for a dialogue with the outside attention. Thus, the house draws energy into itself, it comes alive, it manifests actions, it is a symbol of the town’s cultural acitivity. The structure of the interior, thanks to respecting the triple tracting, remains largely preserved, corresponding to the use of the building. It is also the main means of expression of the interior, offering a direct contact with the original building and its values.

It is our ambition to complete the eastern edge of Uhříněves. With the building of a new school, an opportunity is created to insert into the area a complex, which, in its extent from the new school square to the green space on the edge between the city and the country, will bring together disconnected fragments and dull the edges of previous precipitous development of Uhříněves.

It will complete the missing infrastructure, ranging from that which is obviously lacking to the less visible (not just the school, but also public areas, safe pedestrian and cycling paths for children, areas for social/organisational/sports use, etc.).

Thus, into the area, we insert a complex which is divided, fractal-like, in a logical and understandable succession, in which the scale is decreased and privacy increased: a square with two buildings (a school and a sports hall) -> a school -> 1st and 2nd stage of elementary school -> individual clusters -> individual classes. Coresponding to these steps of the succession are individual public and private areas, ranging from a square to the main school foyer to the public areas of the clusters to the individual classes.

The school works in such a way that whether a pupil arrives on foot, by bike, bus, or is dropped off at the K+R spot by their parents, they appear on the school square in front of the school and sports hall. From the square through the gate they enter the school grounds and around the school yard the school building, where they find themselves in the midst of action in the foyer, which connects the various parts of the school and where, if needed, the whole school can assemble and from where one enters the first stage via the southern gallery and the second stage via the northern gallery.

The concept of restoring the listed Great Cinema is based on the following two basic points:
– the preservation of the original form and construction of the cinema,
– the creation of a new high-quality urban cultural institution.

It is not possible to demolish or dismantle the hall of the Great Cinema, so that we can rebuild it in its original form. In order to preserve the original character of the building, it is necessary to preserve the building or structure as much as possible.

We consider the strongest “picture of the building” to be its original state in 1932. We like its simplicity and efficiency. We return these qualities to the Cinema. We clean the external appearance of the building from modern deposits and return it to its original volumetric lapidarity and reveal the greatness and structural simplicity of the steel hall.

The new Great Cinema has two projection halls. Small for 210 and large for up to 900 seated spectators. This constellation allows for continuous operation, with everyday small events occasionally alternating with large events. Social life in the Great Cinema is ensured by a generous café in its foyer, which opens onto the terrace in front of the cinema during the summer months. The new Great Cinema is open in the direction of its visitors.

In 2020, Bedřiška is no longer the site of arson attacks and garbage piles, as it was 10 years ago. Today, Bedřiška has the problem of population decline, poor technical condition of houses, their complex administration and maintenance, and increasingly uncertainty about future development. The key questions are: Whether or how to renew the housing stock at all? Is it possible to repair existing houses, or is it necessary to demolish them and build new ones? Is the existing spatial arrangement of Bedřiška suitable? Should Bedřiška grow in size? How much? Where? And what about the people, the neighbors who live here? How to keep them here?

The city of Ostrava perceives the potential of the locality and the community, but it is aware of the problems associated with them at the same time. Therefore, it commissioned the elaboration of this study, which deals with the issue of revitalization of Bedřiška in a broad context and comprehensively from the design of buildings and public spaces to the description of the possibilities of involving the local community in its restoration.

This study, which was discussed with local government representatives, city unions, but also representatives of the citizens, is the first step, which must be followed by further steps for successful implementation.

The present design is not one of the “simple” solutions. This is not a solution that could be implemented next year. This is a concept that will be implemented gradually, it will require the will to finish it and the will to agree. It will place great demands on coordination.

In essence, however, the design is concise. Stability and development of the Bedřiška locality can be achieved by opening it and connecting it with its surroundings, involving more entities in its restoration, increasing the number of inhabitants and providing the local community with the opportunity to gain responsibility for the future development of Bedřiška. The proposed strengthens the self-governing role of the population and reduced the demands on the city administration. A model that can approach each house and its occupants individually and in a longer term.