Pavel Hnilička, Marek Řehoř, Martin Chlanda, Ondřej Sýkora
Competition entry 2010
visualizations: miss3
Several features make the Ruzyně brownfield exceptional in Prauge. It is located between the most valuable natural formations of the city – the Hvězda game enclosure and the Šárka natural park but also in the close vicinity of the airport which is becoming ever more important as a modern day “harbour of Prague.” These features, together with the good connection to the outer metropolitan ring road, as well as the planned modernization of the railroad and construction of the metro and tram lines make good conditions for developing the location into a true urban neighbourhood, rather than a suburban or periphery district.
time
Although the value of the existing properties in the area is negligible, we do not intend to employ a “tabula rasa” approach. We take a long-term approach: a number of existing businesses may stay operational for years to come. We insert basic transit arteries into the area in the form of boulevards, which enable temporary continued operation of the existing businesses.
4 urban unites / neigbourhoods
We divide the territory into four urbanistic units: Western “Castrum” for the Army, Northern units by Vlastina Street, Eastern unit in the place of the former Prior warehouses and Southern unit adjacent to the railroad. Each of these units has its own small square, as well as its own unique character determined by the location and links to the environment.
the central park and the public transit magnets
We propose to create a municipal park in the centre of the area. The area cannot be conceived as a single urban district with a single large square in the middle along the lines of Prof. Engel's project of the Dejvice district. Today, the planned metro and railway stations present “magnets” strong enough to deprive the central square of its sense – it would lack a metro or a train station.
primary urban elements
Into the urban structure composed consisting primarily of private investments we insert so called primary urban elements, as defined by Aldo Rossi. They are defined as distinctive structures that lend their character to their neighbourhood making the city more navigable by creating easy to remember places.
penetrability
Brownfields tend to create barriers within the city. We propose to open up the area and interconnect it with its surroundings as much as possible to allow penetrability and free movement of the citizens. In this respect, the creation of enclosed areas in the form of “gated communities” such as the nearby Na Krutci or Malá Šárka developments do not set a good example.
high quality attractive public spaces
We seek to define the shape and the character of public spaces. We conceive of the public space as the “city”s living room” defining its boundaries and seeking the correct
