The skeletal structure in Ostrava, under construction for over a quarter of a century, will be completed by Vítkovice

Ostrava - The unfinished reinforced concrete skeleton that has marred the area near the regional office and cultural center in Ostrava for more than a quarter of a century will be completed by the developer Red House, under the Vítkovice Machinery Group. The contractual documentation with the investor was signed today by the subsidiary Vítkovice Revmont, and construction will begin this Thursday. This was announced by Vítkovice spokeswoman Eva Kijonková. The building is set to include offices, apartments, and shops. It was started by the communist party before 1989 as its regional headquarters, and after the regime change, the skeleton has stood as an incomplete remnant.

According to Kijonková, the work on the facility is divided into two phases, with total costs estimated to reach hundreds of millions of crowns. "We can only confirm that the contract for the first phase, which is already quite clear, amounts to more than 60 million crowns," said Pavel Pekárek, the general director of Vítkovice Revmont.

The Red House Development company purchased the property for approximately 53 million crowns back in 2008. The city has requested multiple extensions for its completion. Ultimately, both parties agreed that the building's cladding, namely the facade and roof, must be completed by the end of this year, and the entire building must be finished by the end of 2017.

This month, Red House Development representative Sylvie Pyszková stated that the completion of the skeleton has begun with preparatory work and the demolition of part of the upper ceiling slab. "We will meet the first binding milestone, contractually secured by the city, which is the commencement of work on the building's cladding by the end of March 2016," Pyszková said.

The Vítkovice Machinery Group has over 8,000 employees and comprises companies with an annual turnover of more than 25 billion crowns. The main owner of the group is Jan Světlík.