Na Olivě: FA BUT students design a modern neighbourhood with respect to history

How to transform a former school campus into a modern district? This was the focus of students from the Faculty of Architecture at Brno University of Technology (FA BUT), who, as part of their bachelor's theses, proposed development possibilities for an unused space in Opočno. The individual projects were presented in March at an exhibition titled Na Olivě – From Brownfield to a Lively District at the Kodym National House in Opočno.

The entire project explores the possibilities of revitalizing the former vocational school campus and its spatial organization. The architectural designs for the new modern district Na Olivě, developed under the guidance of Jiří Palacký and Diana Hudulíková at the Institute of Spatial Design at FA BUT, emphasize the sensitive integration of residential and civic development, the enhancement of public space, and respect for the historical context of the site.

The authors of the proposals are students Eva Všetečková, Katarína Rusiňáková, and Zuzana Březová. Their concepts include a pedestrian promenade, a community park, and new public and semi-public spaces. In the new district, they envision cafés, restaurants, a hotel, a cinema or a library. Their main focus is on sustainability, community life, and leisure activities.

Eva Všetečková's design respects the scale of the surrounding buildings and adapts the storeyage, the ratio of built-up and open areas and the terraced arrangement of residential and individual construction to it. It also supports the concept of a short distance city and targets young families and leisure activities. It preserves two historic former school buildings, which it adapts for offices with a café and a hotel with a restaurant, and transforms the chimney of the heating plant into a lookout tower overlooking the landscape.

The second design, by Katarína Rusňáková, sensitively integrates the new urban structure into the existing area while preserving key building units, including two historic buildings, a gymnasium and a prefabricated house. Between the panel house and the gymnasium, it creates a park-like public space designed for recreation and community gatherings. One of the historic buildings is being adapted to house health services with accommodation, the other to house a nursery school. The proposal emphasises affordable and inclusive housing for a wide range of residents.

Zuzana Březová's final proposal respects the historic values of the area while proposing a transformation through the removal of a prefabricated building and the integration of new housing. A key element is a pedestrian promenade linking the area from north to south, with an inner block with an orchard, terraces and a playground as its focal point. Historic buildings have been adapted for medical practices and a public library.

The student proposals provide a basis for considering the future use of the area and its contribution to the development of Opočno.

Source: Faculty of Architecture BUT and Na Olivě project website