There is no other way

Of course, in terms of recent history, many Brnoers know the Zbrojovka area only as a slowly decaying brownfield. A place where a number of companies and firms traded in the crumbling buildings, but everyone kind of wondered, “what on earth is going to happen to it?”. However, Zbrojovka is a place with a rich and magnificent history.

The history of the area dates back to Austria-Hungary. After the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia, Zbrojovka quickly grew into a world-class project and became a phenomenon. During the interwar period, it was one of the largest military suppliers in the world and the Brno factory also produced aircraft parts and even cars – the legendary Zetka. Its magnificent story continued to be written after World War II. For a short time, Zetor tractors were even produced here, but the main focus was on typewriters and computer technology.

Zbrojovka was one of the largest employers in Brno. Everyone knew someone who worked in its halls. But then came the revolution and the wild nineties, and production slowly ebbed away. Bankruptcy followed, then insolvency proceedings, until the last ever shift punched in at the end in 2006.

... and here is Nová Zbrojovka

Ten years later, in 2016, we acquired the premises and Zbrojovka became Nová Zbrojovka. Well, I say acquired... we actually bought it together with J&T Group at auction for 707 million crowns. So it wasn’t exactly cheap. However, it was a site where production was still taking place and thus still generating profits, which is uncommon. At the same time, we felt the enormous potential of this place.

Since 2017, we’ve started to realise this potential and from that time we’ve been working hard to transform the complex. Before construction could begin this year, a number of necessary steps had to be taken. The key was to establish cooperation with the city. A series of cooperation agreements clearly defines the development of this brownfield site in the coming years and addresses critical aspects of infrastructure, such as transport, communications, sewerage and flood defence measures. At the same time, they clearly define the respective duties and obligations of us and the city. Another important step was the re-zoning from an industrial site to residential, office and commercial areas. Without this change, of course, we could not have started construction.

We know that it may have looked as if nothing was happening here, but believe us, there was a lot going on. You can read more about it here.

What happens next?

It was the re-zoning that opened the door to creating a clear vision for Nová Zbrojovka. An architectural-urban competition was held in 2018 to determine the most suitable solution for this area. Its result is the Masterplan. It defines the whole neighbourhood. It divides the 22 hectares into blocks, delimiting spaces according to their functions into residential, office and retail spaces or civic and public amenities. At the same time, it also proposes the concept for the backbone infrastructure and transport and its connection to existing networks.

The masterplan is actually a kind of cookbook for the future design of buildings. According to the plan, more than 550,000 m2 of development will be built, including 2,500 apartments, 200,000 m2 of office space and 100,000 m2 of commercial and retail space and services. Let’s say that this is not a cookbook for a buffet, but rather for a Michelin-starred restaurant. Sustainability is a key pillar of the Nová Zbrojovka masterplan. All buildings will comply with the new EU Taxonomy, which defines environmentally sustainable businesses. The entire site will have a sophisticated system of green roofs, with photovoltaic panels that will generate up to 4 megawatt peaks of energy. Rainwater collection and its efficient use is also standard. 30% of all areas in Nová Zbrojovka will be greenery.

Over the next 10 years, this brownfield will change beyond recognition. An inspiring and modern neighbourhood will grow here, a place where people will want to live and work, but also have fun and relax. A neighbourhood that will live, will be accessible, and at the same time will be held to the highest standards.

Maybe we seem crazy to some. That’s not how real developers go about things, is it? But we want to do it this way, we want to do it differently. Our goal is no less than to make Nová Zbrojovka a magnificent place again. Just run and maybe you’ll outrun the world.