The Ponava area in Brno is set to transform into an attractive and sustainable urban district

Brno - In the competitive dialogue for the transformation of the Brno location Ponava, the architectural studio bauchplan won. According to the city, they presented a vision for a new attractive and sustainable urban district with diverse and safe public spaces, a green connection between Lužánky and Planýrka, and opportunities for public sports and recreation. The decision of the expert committee of the competition organized by the Office of the Architect of the City (KAM) of Brno was discussed by the city council today.

The winning team will now start working on a territorial study based on their solution. Its submission is planned for the following year, the municipality stated in a press release.

Ponava covers an area of more than 27 hectares, where there is currently a swimming pool and a football field. "Looking at the selected solution, I am already eagerly anticipating how this vision will help breathe life into the location and transform it into an attractive part of Brno. The selected studio comes up with diverse, functional, and safe public spaces, and it is very important that the proposed green connection between Lužánky and Planýrka functions as a linear park running through a vibrant part of the city," stated Mayor Markéta Vaňková (ODS).

According to her, the concept also includes an approach to transportation, as the winning team proposes maximum permeability for pedestrians and cyclists, parking utilizing spaces from the current underground garages, and the design also accounts for better public transport services.

Councilor for urban planning Petr Bořecký (ANO) believes that the proposal fully respects modern requirements for the quality of living in the city. "The proposed urban structure appropriately connects with the qualities of the existing surrounding buildings, including the integration of the Bobycentrum hotel and tennis halls. It also accounts for public amenities in the form of an open-access sports and recreational zone. Currently, this area is being re-evaluated for the placement of a new football stadium, and it will be up to the authors of the proposal to assess whether their concept will be fully functional even in the case of building a capacious stadium," he stated.

The Office of the Architect of the City chose the form of a competitive dialogue for the first time. "It allowed for the involvement of all key stakeholders in the area and utilized the experience and ideas of different teams of architects, urban planners, landscape architects, transport specialists, and other experts. Through workshops and a jointly developing dialogue between the city, experts, and participants in the competition, we sought and ultimately found the best solution for this part of the city," added KAM director Jan Tesárek.