A new city block in place of the demolished barracks. Until recently, it was an inner periphery, a closed-off area. Today, it features a wide corner arc that creates an inner courtyard with greenery, shielded from the noise of the busy intersection.
A new urban block has been created in place of the demolished Sochor Barracks. The area is located outside the destroyed city wall circuit, where there is now a large urban boulevard. Until recently, it was an inner periphery, a dormant, inaccessible area of the barracks and the adjacent brownfield of a soap factory. The construction between the main railway station and the market has gradually emerged since the 1990s, when a bridge and a tram line were built here. The design was based on the spatial study US 18 Šantova, which conceptually addressed an area of approximately 5 hectares of both brownfields. The conservative block structure draws the waterfront of the Mlýnský stream to the left bank. The framework of the proposed streets was composed with views of the city skyline's landmarks (St. Michael's Church, St. Wenceslas Cathedral, etc.). The subsequent architectural study and project pertained only to the area of the former barracks. The accompanying proposal planned to preserve the historicized building of the command and the most recent high postmodern building of the gatehouse with administration (built in 1989). The new construction was intended to envelop these objects. Due to the uniform height, they would be completely absorbed. This historical approach was applied, for example, in the reconstruction of Wrocław after World War II, where a panel house stands in close proximity to a classicist palace, creating a compact settlement. Moreover, the footprint arc of the original buildings is respected—however, the wide corner arc has been transformed here. From the low, utilitarian garage backs, a generous urban development has emerged.
Location: 17. listopadu – Wittgensteinova – Šantova, Olomouc
Authors: ječmen studio
Collaborators: Vítězslav Rejšek, Ondřej Došlík, Vojtěch Jemelka, Hana Zatloukalová, Lucie Vyhlídalová
Investor: Private
City Block Area: 1.8 ha
Usable Area: 445 apartments with a usable area of 26,150 m²
Usable Area: 436 parking spaces in underground garages, 42 on the surface in the new Camilla Sitte street
Usable Area: 25 commercial units on the ground floor with a usable area of 3,035 m²
Enclosed Space: 183,822 m³
Project Duration: 2016–2018
Construction Period: 2018–2021
Cost: CZK 1.2 billion
Photography: Pavel Vrzala