Brownfield of Zlín to be Changed into a Multifunctional Community Centre
18. 06. 2024 | News
KOMA MODULAR, a leader in the field of modular construction, has won the competition for the transformation of the Zlín site known as “Smurf Town”. The new project, worth almost CZK 100 million, promises not only modern architecture but also a significant improvement in the civic amenities and cultural offer of the city of Zlín and the locality of Jižní Svahy.
“Together with the Chybik + Krištof architects, we have prepared a design for a hybrid modular building that is open and respectful of the surrounding area. We wanted to open up the whole building to the people, so we chose the concept of a pass-through atrium with a heart – a lantern – in the middle, which dominates the whole building,” commented Mr. Stanislav Martinec, the owner of KOMA MODULAR.
The new centre will be a multifunctional space offering a wide range of services and activities. Individual parts and modules will be used for catering facilities, a creative part (workshops, co-working centre) and an exhibition part. The square in the middle with the mobile modules will be adapted flexibly for cultural events such as movies, concerts, theatre.
Marie Schüller, who will be responsible for the operational part of the centre, emphasized the importance of the meeting place: “We will prefer chamber events with a concrete focus. Our goal is to create a meeting place, a lively place where generations, people with common interests, will connect. The place is assembled so that it lives inside all day long, 7 days a week. We want people to come back.”
The KOMA MODULAR project also emphasises local community involvement and support for local activities. “We will negotiate with potential tenants, but the level of services provided, quality, diversity, localness, benefit for the community, and involvement in events will be decisive for us. We want to enable everyone to spend quality time here without being conditioned to consume and spend money. In the design process we have already envisaged the involvement of all local organisations, societies and groups,” added Ms. Schüller.
“My intentions have a much broader history based on a long-standing connection to culture and art, connecting modularity and architecture and creating new communities. When the city launched the competition at Jižní Svahy, we decided that this was a unique opportunity to elevate life in Zlín and make it more attractive for living,” concluded Mr. Martinec.
KOMA MODULAR is planning to set up an information centre using CITY modules, which people know from the Zlin Design Week or the Zlín Film Festival for Children and Youth. In them, people will be able to see the prepared intention of the building. KOMA also wants to collect feedback and proposals for the contents of the multifunctional centre.
The City of Zlín is looking forward to the new era that this project will bring. “The winning proposal consists in the construction of a completely new building and promises a modern content and approach to the service provision,” commented Mayor Mr. Jiří Korec on the results of the competition. KOMA MODULAR is already preparing to implement the project, which should be completed in mid-2026. This project is another step in the company’s long-term commitment to contribute to the development of modern and sustainable architecture and to cultivate and develop social life in Zlín.
