Revitalizace sídliště Březinova Jihlava

FAST VUT - Faculty of Civil Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Department of Architecture

Project idea

The Březinova housing estate is the largest housing estate in Jihlava with its area of 52.5 ha. The vision of the architect Zdeněk Gryc, who is the author of the design of Březinek, was to live in greenery based on the penetration of the neighbouring forest park into the interior of the estate. The height composition of the housing estate was largely determined by the fluctuating bearing capacity of the local soils. The housing estate was constructed using the T 06 B panel system, which was supplied with windows already fitted and with the finished surfaces. The result was a housing estate with 3,300 new apartments for nearly 13,000 people. The estate was originally to be accessed by a footbridge across the Jihlávka River valley to the historic city centre. This project was never realised, yet there are still voices for a footbridge and a number of projects have been drawn up; I am also working with a footbridge in my project. The proposed road network branches from the crossing of Okružní Street in a tree-like manner towards the residential area of the estate, where the roads are blinded, which was intended to calm car traffic.

Unfortunately, the capacity of parking spaces is not sufficient for today's needs. The housing estate looks more like a large car park. Parked cars form a barrier and hinder the permeability of the area. Another problem is the unmaintained areas such as the hostel, the industrial area in the south, or the discussed centre of the estate - the Březinova shopping centre, which is neglected and where increased crime is recorded. The lack of maintenance is also linked to the anonymous spaces around the buildings, which represent a major financial and time burden for the city.

I have created a new urban structure on the existing layout of the estate that respects the current form of the estate, but which will also be able to respond much more flexibly to future developments and thus become more sustainable. In this way, I have created a road network of circular, service and pedestrian roads. All of this with a particular focus on pedestrians so that cars no longer obstruct the streets, freeing up space to create full public spaces.

Project description

The first goal I therefore set myself was to solve the traffic system, especially the traffic at a standstill. I evaluated parking houses as the best possible option for parking, which are more cost-effective in terms of initial investment compared to underground garages or large parking towers and are also easily transformable into another type of building, offering a wide range of uses such as rooftop landscaping, etc. The parking houses are further complemented by a system of parking towers designed for visitors to the estate or immobile residents. I also maintain a limited number of ground parking spaces.

The next step was to divide the resulting areas according to the degree of privacy and to create new functional use of the resulting areas. My aim was to incorporate (through e.g. hedges) as many areas as possible into the category of private gardens, thus creating places that will be cared for by the residents of the estate themselves, and that will be a place that matters to them and that they will use for gathering and relaxation. I am also creating semi-private areas freely accessible to all visitors, but designed primarily for the residents of the estate. Then there are semi-public and public areas.

Technical information

In terms of urban detail, I have been looking at perhaps the most painful place in Březinky, and that is the shopping centre. Currently closed off from all sides and hostile looking, I decided to open up the area as much as possible by stripping the structure down to its skeleton and leaving it accessible from all sides. From the eastern part, I then placed a residence staircase in place of the ramps and moved the operations of the larger shops to the newly designed office and shopping centre in close proximity. I left the library or some of the smaller businesses and cafes in place of the resulting plaza. In the centre of the present courtyard of the shopping centre, I am placing a water area, which will be used for retention and for cooling in the summer months.