A comprehensive start - the basis for a self-sufficient urban neighbourhood
Dear diary, it's finally here, after years of demolition, remediation, site preparation, preparation of the Masterplan, partial building studies, project documentation, engineering, permitting, securing financing and demand for the planned buildings, and scheduling contractors, we started construction of 4 new buildings in November. The Morizz and Cubicum residences will bring 301 units for sale and the Montowna mixed-use building and D4.Office will add 110 units for lease, 17,000 sqm of office space and 2,000 sqm of retail and service space. This will give a major blood infusion to the formerly dying brownfield site and start to come to life.
Site preparation for the first residences
In November, we started the preparation of the construction of the waterfront residence Morizz and the residential block Cubicum. The site of the former Zbrojovka factory has been cleared of dilapidated buildings in an unsatisfactory condition for some time, so to start construction we followed up with site preparation including a thorough clean-up and surface preparation, including the creation of facilities for dozens of workers and the distribution of electricity for construction.
The next part of the preparation phase was the construction of the access road for the machinery, which also included the need to move the existing car park of the Castle Administration Building. It's now a few metres further to the new headquarters, but on the way it's at least possible to admire how the construction is moving along.
Gas has been piped into the development area and will no longer be needed here as the residences will be heated by hot water. So, during the year, the existing gas connection including the gas control station was also removed, and instead a new connection was created for ZET.Office.
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The area for the construction of the Cubicum residence before the start of construction | Status at the end of February after the construction of the construction pit, followed by the foundation of the building | The resulting form of Cubicum, which stands out for its playful architecture reminiscent of stacked cubes |
Hooray, let's go build!
We first took the Cubicum residence to the building parade. At this point, the construction pit is almost complete, secured by sheet piling or sheet pile walls, in our case steel, to prevent landslides. We have excavated two underground levels, which corresponds to a pit depth of approximately 7 metres, which will subsequently be used for parking spaces. It is standard to build only one underground parking deck, but we are opting for two, which will provide 520 parking spaces across the 4 buildings currently under construction.
Our aim is to direct the majority of the parking underground to allow for maximum green space and public amenity on the surface, which will support our vision of Nová Zbrojovka as a neighbourhood primarily for pedestrians and cyclists. On the surface, the underground parking will be complemented by only a few dozen spaces implemented on seepage pavements, which together with other blue-green infrastructure elements applied in Nová Zbrojovka (green roofs, retention basins, etc.) will increase the amount of rainwater absorbed by 70% compared to the traditional urban environment.
The construction of Cubicum continues with the so-called foundation of the building, where we use the principle of pile walls, one of the most used solutions for permanent support structures of buildings. The smaller Morizz residence has given Cubicum a head start and is now starting the process of securing the construction pit. In the next diary entry we will see where the buildings have moved.
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| Preparation of the area for the construction of the Morizz waterfront residence | Realization of the construction pit including securing with sheet piling | Final appearance of the Morizz residence (view on the approach from Lazaretní Street) |
The dance of the cranes will soon be upon us
The construction of so many buildings on a limited area must necessarily have its organizational challenges. And we have a lot of fun overcoming the challenges! So in a few months you can look forward to the ‘dance of the cranes’, as we call this specialty internally. 8 cranes will appear on the construction site at the same time. We are now creating the subsoil necessary for their construction and finding suitable positions so that each of them has its own space, they do not restrict each other and the result is an eye-pleasing crane panorama that in action can resemble a dance of machines.
Only with a solid foundation can the end result be fully functional, stable, sustainable, and this is true not only in building construction, but of any project, vision or plan. We have taken great care in preparing solid foundations, creating a thoughtful urban district that will offer a comfortable city life using technological trends, where you will also be surrounded by nature. Do you think Nová Zbrojovka is the neighbourhood where you want to live? Then take a look at the current offer of units or meet our sales manager Bára Očkayová.
