Reed city
Urban concept
Most, Czech Republic, 2010
Ing. arch. Michal Gabaš, Ing. arch. Tomáš Beránek
Final round of the Bydlení IQ competition
The aim of the conceptual studio project was to explore the different possibilities of a re-use and re-cultivation of postindustrial landscape. The studio was focused on a north-western part of the Czech republic with a long history of coal mining.
The task named “The City for 10 000 inhabitants” was based on an analysis of the location and its new potential.
The whole area is characterised and deformed by the surface coal mining, which has reached its peak during the era of communist regime in the years between 1948 and 1989.
The current city Most represents a completely new urban unit, built in the 1960s. The former medieval town Most was completely demolished after the discovery of a rich coal-bed.
The site itself as a typical character of a post-mining landscape and is situated on the shore of the largest man-made lake in the Czech Republic. The former coal-mine was filled with water in 2014 as a part of the re-cultivation process representing the new potential in terms of tourism and leisure activities.
The important task of the design was to find the most proper use and function for the new urban unit, the goal was to suppress the negative economical tendencies in the region (high unemployment, decreasing population). The Reed City was designed mainly for those inhabitants, whose villages are situated in the expansion area of the coal industry.
We also understand the new lake “Most” as an important element- the spark that will invert the negative economical tendencies in the whole region.
The design reflects the tendencies of a high density over urban sprawl.
The basic idea was to design tall, subtle, residential towers, embedded into the bottom of the lake. Each tower offers a wide range of apartments – rent / private, duplex / classical. / studio. These towers are independent concrete structures with dense public spaces in between, which are based on a structure of the spatial Vierendeel trusses.
The concept of the project is inspired by the Reed plant. The new city is created by subtle towers, that surround the shore line of the lake Most, in the same way in which the reed plants grow in a shallow water.
The design of the new city reacts to the poor foundation characteristics in the region. The rock-solid bottom of the lake represents the only load-bearing ground in the area.
The Reed City is placed on the northern shore of the lake, facing south. The element of the water / lake offers a large amount of opportunities in terms of services, leisure activities and recreation, and is thus creating a huge potential for its existence and growth.
