The area covered by the proposed project is located on the border between Strašnice and Žižkov in Prague 3 and is bounded by U nákladového nádraží, K Červenému dvoru, Ke Kapličce, and Na Třebešíně streets. It was originally an industrial complex, the foundation of which was laid in the 1930s for the “MICROPHONA Telephone and Radio Factory” owned by the Knotek brothers. The main structure surviving from that period is the six-story building along U Nákladového nádraží Street. Following nationalization in December 1945, the factory came under the ownership of the Tesla national enterprise.

After 1989, the former Tesla Strašnice complex underwent gradual transformation; today, the majority of the site is occupied by the NAGANO PARK administrative center, which includes office and warehouse spaces as well as a data center, completed in 1999. The remaining areas (particularly toward Na Třebešíně Street) house other smaller production and storage facilities (a printing plant). In the central part of the complex, there are open-air parking and handling areas.

The study of the proposed residential complex was initiated in light of the gradual transformation of activities not only within the complex but also in its immediate vicinity, particularly at the Žižkov Freight Station (Nákladové nádraží Žižkov). Industry activities in the area are gradually being phased out, and entities that previously utilized the existing building stock are relocating to other spaces that better meet their current needs in terms of accessibility and technical standards. Already today, a significant portion of the complex is used primarily for non-manufacturing activities; industry has also ceased in the printing plant building, and it is anticipated that the Data Center will cease operations within the next few years due to advancements in IT technology.

It is precisely for this reason that the owners of land and real estate in the area have initiated this Urban Planning Study, which is intended to serve as a basis for further development in the affected location. By changing the current state of affairs, conditions can be created that will allow the site’s potential to be harnessed for further development—rather than the current stagnation—and enable the realization of contemporary urban-style development.

The existing valuable buildings along U Nákladového nádraží Street will be preserved and continue to be used (their partial conversion into office space has already taken place over the past 30 years, as mentioned above); on the remaining, larger half of the site, the construction of apartment buildings with complementary activities on the ground floor is now being considered.

The future mixed-use project in the area, made possible by the new proposal, is in line with both the urban planning concept of the Prague Land Use Plan—which focuses on expanding compact urban areas—and its intended polycentric layout. In connection with the proposed amendment to Land Use Plan No. 2600/00 for the Žižkov Freight Yard site, the planned project also aligns with the urban planning concept of transforming former industrial areas into fully-fledged urban neighborhoods.

The reuse of such transformation areas—such as the “NAGANO” site—rather than the general development of open spaces, is one of the priorities of the city’s urban planning concept. The potential of the site, which involves repurposing the existing high-quality buildings from the 1930s, is also consistent with the protection of cultural values, which lie in preserving the memory of the place and its urban development.

The change in land use will also improve the area’s accessibility, as, unlike the current situation, most of it will be open to public passage. This will strengthen the connection between the residential development extending from Na Třebešíně Street toward Strašnice on one side and the planned new development on the transformation areas within the Freight station complex on the other.

It can be expected that, in connection with this, in addition to the aforementioned improved walkability through the area, there will also be better future access to public transportation in the locality, specifically in the form of new pedestrian routes to the proposed tram line and metro station within the Freight station complex. The landscaping of the site’s grounds, which is directly linked to the new construction project initiated by the proposed amendment, will also improve and expand the areas of publicly accessible green space.

Although the site in its current state consists primarily of a disparate structure of manufacturing and warehouse buildings, it is relatively well integrated into the area’s street network along its entire perimeter, and the aforementioned original Knotek brothers’ factory from the 1930s has a character that integrates very well into the anticipated urban environment of this location.

We have therefore proposed an urban plan for a gradual conversion toward a greater proportion of residential use in two distinct layers: the first layer defines the entire site as a single large, permeable block that includes some of the original buildings. The scale of this block is comparable to the largest historic blocks in Žižkov. In the second layer, the entire large composite block is defined as a combination of two smaller, autonomous blocks and the original buildings that are being retained. The size of the newly proposed smaller blocks is designed on the scale of an average Žižkov block.

As a whole, this is a multifunctional urban complex; the newly designed buildings will primarily contain apartments, supplemented by retail and commercial services on the ground floor, while the original buildings will retain their current use as affordable rental office space. The conversion of the entire complex is expected to take place in multiple phases.