The future of Brno centre

The creation of a real city district is a decades-long process. Instead of one new neighbourhood built at once, the proposal presents a long-term sustainable scenario of gradual development: letting the surrounding neighbourhoods grow into the previously empty area. This creates a rich mosaic of locations with strong characters and identities. The design not only makes the area accessible, but also exploits its citywide potential. It integrates existing barriers into the urban fabric and organises the station as a natural part of the city. It creates new green interfaces with significance for the whole of Brno, connecting the centre with the two rivers and the open countryside. Together, the five sites and their green interfaces form a system of places - a basic guide for coordinating the gradual shaping of the whole complex area. Clear and comprehensible, but at the same time leaving enough room for continuous optimization. A piece of the city emerges that takes the best of its surroundings. A city that meets contemporary social and ecological demands, but at the same time remains authentically Brno.

The design is characterised by a high standard of public realm - with an eye for scale, detail and character of place. The competition design presents the city with a sensible, realistic and sustainable scenario for the development of the subject area that is resilient and flexible, and that demonstrates a clear way of thinking and making decisions about the future of the area. This scenario is based on the infill of surrounding neighbourhoods into a currently vacant and underused area and allows for its gradual development from several directions, with each new site being able to develop independently of the other. In relation to the adjacent existing urban neighbourhoods, this creates a variety of development character with a diverse mix of different typologies and a good prognosis for neighbourhood formation. The competition design presents a sensitive and informed design for all modes of transportation in the city, including a thoughtful public transportation system. A high quality part of the design is the tramway spine line connecting the new main station and the city centre with the railway station Brno-Štýřice. The integration of the projected area not only into the context of the city, but also into the context of the surrounding landscape, which penetrates into it, can be assessed very positively. At the interface of the proposed sites there are parks - green areas of reasonable scale and interesting character. The treatment and management of water, including the solution to the problem of flooding on the River Svratka, should also be highly commended. The competition design is characterised by a high standard of public realm - with an eye for scale, detail and character of place. It creates a meaningful system of spatial articulation, where each site - as an extension of the existing neighbourhood urban area - has its own natural centre. The forecourt space has an appropriate human scale and is well connected to the station and the whole of the new development area to the south. The proposal brings very good and informed thinking about the needs of Brno and the individual places in the area, with a sense of the realistic emergence of a multifunctional, socially sustainable city.

BRNO AS A SUCCESSFUL CITY The prosperous city is made by its residents. The Urban strategy, therefore, matters in order to support the economic growth and improve the overall quality of life. We believe our proposal creates a great place for all aspects of urban life. The second important aspect of our design is to give the city unique identity. This can be achieved through a strong vision. The first step in such a process is to identify Brno city`s potentials and unique characters and try to apply the strategy „do less win more“. For us locating these points is a fundamental guidlie in all design decisions. Brno future transformation has to learn how to reveal and benefit from its hidden gems. The most obvious potential stretches right in the middle of the involved area. The emptiness of the area represents the biggest opportunity for the city - the first big park in the South. The development generator. The park becomes an urban tool itself. It encourages the densification of the southeast postindustrial area of the city, it heals the gaps in the urban fabric. Where park meets the river and the city center, that sounds like a beginning of a fairy tail.

The proposal is based on the existing but as yet undiscovered values of the city. The highly sensitive and comprehensive proposal responds to urban challenges and problems at all scales. Its clear strategy is to increase neighborhood density so that the central park can remain relatively empty. Another strong element of the concept is the reactivation of existing and somewhat hidden historic buildings. The design well defines the different sites with different functions - culture, commerce, employment, housing and recreation. The proposal draws attention to problem sites and brownfields, not only within the study area, and offers their social and commercial use. The pleasant scale of the urban public realm in front of the station with the relatively inexpensive solution of refurbishing the station building and the greater intensity of pedestrian movement along the existing station and post office building adds to the attractiveness of the newly created esplanade. The traffic around the station is also relatively well organised. This creates a good connection with the industrial heritage buildings around Little America and the unveiled viaduct newly named High Line Terrace. This place can be a vibrant part of the city with creative industries, entertainment and leisure facilities. The proposal presents a realistic and contemporary approach to the city based on its existing but as yet undiscovered values. It is resilient in nature and involves the city's residents in the development process, which is important for social sustainability. It offers a simple phasing and is a relatively inexpensive and quick implementation option. However, it does not deal too much with existing property rights, which could bring some risks.

The City South of the historical center is growing an attractive, living and colourful district for tens of thousands citizens. It will have streets and squares with trees, playgrounds, water area, bars, coffees, kindergardens, schools, sport and cultural facilities, short distance of walk from the historical center and a large central park for sports and relax. New plots for houses in blocks shall have a traditional townhouse-size, which is universal for apartment buildings, services and business and allows liberal construction organization. Railways and the station The municipality has to fixate in the urban plan railway corridors and a right position of the station with perspective of minimal 200 years of growing agglomeration with more than 1 million inhabitants. For the position of the future station we recommend using the existing straight part of the railway in Little America, which allows to place straight platforms long enough in number sufficient for future development. Platforms can be organized in two levels before the two corridors split. Station in this position is well accessible from all the four sides especially from the center by all kinds of transport and on foot. It will not be handicapped for future by narrow and curved area in existing position of the old station.

Klíčovým prvkem návrhu je rozšířená vodní plocha Svratky v ústředním parku. Projekt nabízí jasnou vizi živoucí a pestré nové čtvrti jižně od historického centra s klíčovým prvkem – rozšířenou vodní plochou Svratky v ústředním parku. Pracuje s navázáním stávající urbánní struktury a měřítka historického jádra města na novou výstavbu a s rozmanitostí velikosti bloků, jejich propustností a různou typologií. Přístup založený na flexibilním uspořádání zástavby pro bydlení a práci přináší adekvátní řešení zatím nepředvídatelné situace budoucího rozvoje města, což je porotou hodnoceno velice kladně. Vlakové nádraží je posunuto jihozápadním směrem, což umožňuje výstavbu podzemních tratí bez zásahu do historických vrstev. Stávající výpravní budova pak může získat novou atraktivní funkci. Nevýhodou je však dlouhá docházková vzdálenost k hlavnímu vstupu v severní části nového nádraží, před nímž je navržen poněkud předimenzovaný veřejný prostor. Zastřešení kolejiště evokuje obraz historické železniční stanice z 19. století a z dnešního pohledu se zdá být mimo měřítko. Autoři navrhují 12 tratí v nadzemní úrovni, tedy více než bylo požadováno, což je nadsazené a nákladné. Centrální autobusové nádraží, stejně jako systém městské hromadné dopravy, jsou řešeny nepřesvědčivě. Teprve v budoucnu, až bude „Jižní město“ plně funkční, může nádraží sehrávat roli městského hubu. Jako velkou přednost projektu porota vnímá koncept opětovného využití historických budov původního nádraží a Malé Ameriky, stejně jako odkrytí arkád viaduktu, čímž se posilují stávající hodnoty v území.

The creation of the whole urban area is (in the local context) conditioned mainly by modifying traffic infrastructure, by connection to the historic center and by providing flood protection. The proposal is based on a creation of stable, legible urban framework that will be functional during the whole time of area development. The main compositional element of urban framework is the new axis oriented on landmark of Petrov. The composition follows the existing urban structure of the city and protects the existing valuables – important natural localities and historical buildings, which support the genius loci. One of the cornerstones of the design is the availability of the landscape. Design creates a green ring encircling the historic center. Along with a connection to the parks (over the viaduct) makes landscape more available and closer to the inner city. With regard to long-term horizon design works with the theme of concreteness. From concrete design, over urban interventions at different scales is moving towards uncertainty and letting nature take its course.

The project proposes a clear, yet somewhat schematic and rigid structure. The new station building follows the building line of the old station and the Bohuslav Fuchs Post Office building, but lacks a convincing architectural expression and looks more like a nostalgic reminiscence of the curtain walls of the 1960s. The connection from the city centre to the southern sector is not ideal, with height differences to overcome in the corridor. The relocation of part of the tram service to Narrow Street divides and greatly complicates the orientation and clarity of the transport hub. The solution of the green belt between Mala Amerika and the Svratka river embankment, which is not lacking in attractiveness, would deserve a bolder approach. The jury appreciates the consistently designed phasing for the development of the area, although the feasibility of each phase is conditional on optimistic economic development.

The jury appreciates the professional and complex design as well as the convincing and attractive form of its presentation. The design fulfils the stated aim of making Brno "the urban laboratory of Europe defining international scale" - it is an eclectic collage of the most sympathetic tendencies of contemporary urbanism: it works with local identity, community spirit, human scale, urban gardening or energy independence. At the same time, it brings a good proportion of serving and served, as well as generating and consuming. All the clearly articulated ideas have the potential to excite, but at the same time raise concerns about whether the proposal is too beholden to current trends, whether we will be able to transmit its vision to future generations, or whether it will remain at the level of the utopia articulated by the current generation.

The jury appreciates the professional and complex design as well as the convincing and attractive form of its presentation. The design fulfils the stated aim of making Brno "the urban laboratory of Europe defining international scale" - it is an eclectic collage of the most sympathetic tendencies of contemporary urbanism: it works with local identity, community spirit, human scale, urban gardening or energy independence. At the same time, it brings a good proportion of serving and served, as well as generating and consuming. All the clearly articulated ideas have the potential to excite, but at the same time raise concerns about whether the proposal is too beholden to current trends, whether we will be able to transmit its vision to future generations, or whether it will remain at the level of the utopia articulated by the current generation.

The current size of Brno city centre is satisfactory both in size and functional composition. The proposed development in the southern quarter does not compete with the centre and respects the historical layout of the city. The three basic impulses predetermine the character of development in the area: - Opening up a wide area under the railway line and creating a transfer hub for all those under consideration. combinations of means of transport and their interconnection - defining a green belt in the eastern part of the area connecting the centre and the recreational area riverside zone of the Svratka River - straightening of the Great Urban Ring Road and its overlaying with soil removed during the construction of the railway station. These principles establish the basic skeleton of the urban structure in the area, which can develop in a varied way within the given limits.

The station building is located above the body of the railway line, which contributes to easy pedestrian connections between the historic centre and the newly emerging southern sector of the city. The permeability is also supported by the proposed demolition of the existing post office building. However, the station forecourt from the south is indistinct, as are the tower blocks on the southern edge of the site and the schematic block development. Its western edge is connected to the recreational park, which continues along both banks of the Svratka River and whose attractiveness is increased by the tunneling of the city ring road. The park also makes use of the historic viaduct, enriched by a new colonnade, which, together with an artificial lake, forms a recreational framework. This creates a new characteristic element of citywide significance, although its content is formulated somewhat vaguely.

When the future is unknown, the most logical course of action is to propose something flexible. This urban proposal should not be understood as a crystallised design. The proposed buildings and spaces are just one of the multiple possible urban configurations for Brno centre area. Our aim is to create a design tool that will guide the different actors involved in the process and serve as a base for urban planning. Nevertheless, our method is not generic and has been specifically designed for the geographical, economic, social and political context of Brno, with the intend to create a valid document for the citizens to decide their future in a referendum. The goal of this proposal is to help with the City of Brno to transform its city into a modern location with a strong cultural and research offer, affordable housing and a functional mobility concept.

The concept of the design is based on stretching the green belt of the Colliery under the terrain break of the edge of the existing station and continuing it along the railway body to the south. As convincing as this overall figure is in the site plan, connecting its segments only by the neck of the station underpass detracts from its strength. The new station is defined in the project as a set of several terminals for different modes of transport and derived functions. However, this concept has already been somewhat clumsily translated into a volumetric and spatial structure - the composition of the buildings at the main entrance looks too monumental. A great quality of the design is the carefully thought-out strategy of development in so-called urban belts consisting of blocks derived from the scale of traditional Brno buildings, which, thanks to the basic regulatory rules, can react very flexibly in the future to requirements that are still unknown today. However, the practical use of the internal semi-public spaces of the permeable blocks for the wider public was questioned by the jury. On the contrary, the authors' considerations of social, economic and environmental sustainability were highly appreciated.

In order to foster the integration of this large and central area into the city of Brno, it was vital to combine connectivity with a vibrant mixed use program. Achieving the same density as the traditional turn of the Century neighborhoods nearby yet giving a decisively green and recreational quality that will also cater to the city as a whole resulted in the concept of pedestrian access with strategically placed array of parking garages. The organization of the new roads enables the area to be served efficiently by public transport so that busses can run in intervals of every few minutes, with walking distances of no more than 200m. These moves harness qualities that foster the appreciation of the area through three phases of implementation. The overall layout was determined by employing mostly the typology of regular linear residential blocks, establishing a differentiation between courtyards and more public linear green spaces.

The proposed project presents a compact and visually interesting, if somewhat formalistic, urban design solution that appears difficult to implement from an economic and time perspective. Implementation would more or less remove the area in question from the context of the city and create direct competition with the old centre. The urban structure is out of scale with the built-up area of the city of Brno, as evidenced, for example, by the incorporation of the railway bridge into the station forecourt. This connecting element between the north and south also serves as a station building with an upper entrance to the surface station, but in the citywide composition it gives the impression of a barrier.