USEAct Thematic Network I Urban sustainable environmental actions

USEAct CASE STUDIES Catalogue

FORMER BREWERY REGENERATION

USEACT CASE STUDY

Municipality of Nitra, Slovakia

Theme 2: Interventions to “reuse” urban areas:

management, partnerships, funding, functions.

Subtheme 2.2: Improving public administration ability on

controlling and managing “high quality” and “sustainable”

reuse interventions.

Summary abstract

The Former brewery area creates important part of the City identity. The beer, which was brewed in

Nitra, carries the name of Corgoň, according the Corgoň statue in the Upper City, one of the most

famous landmarks in Nitra. Even when in 2004 the beer production was moved to Hurbanovo brewery,

the mark is still identified with Nitra all across the Slovakia. In 2007 the intent of the new owner

concerning the site regeneration was announced. Because of the site location in the Centrum of the City

and its scale as well, the project was under the strict scrutiny of managing authorities in Nitra. The

designs were evaluated from the point of view of the General plan regulative, quality of architecture

and public spaces, traffic solutions and capacities, accessibility and surrounding urban structure

synchronization.

Very challenging was the goal of regenerating some original structures of the brewery /Malt house,

Heating facility, 2 historical villas/. All the structures of the brewery were evaluated also of their

historical values and qualities, technical conditions and the results were the main arguments in process

of decision, which structures should be rescued and regenerated, and which ones are beyond help,

should be raised down and the new ones should take their place.

Setting and Key

questions/Challenges

max 3.000

characters (spaces

included.

Please note: a

summary table/chart-

flow providing a

visual summary of

the issues is

welcomed.

Characters of the

“summary flow-

char/table” have not

to be counted

BASIC REGENERATION STRATEGY OF THE FORMER BREWERY :

The selected area lays within the borders of the former brewery facility in Nitra,

neighboring the complex of the Nitra hospital, historical villas and the main

road connecting the city to the southern part of the country. The site has a mild

altitude, no more than 6m facing the City Centre. The General plan of Nitra

regulate the area by the function of public services and housing in the southern

part of the area /Špitálska str./. Recently, the former brewery is owned by 1

owner, the fact has a positive influence on the flexibility of design and

construction process as such. According to the owner’s intents, the site is

nowadays regenerated, some original structures will be reused as a

multifunctional facilities including hotel, retail and leisure services, newly

designed structures will be used for commerce and housing capacities. The site

is under construction, some new building being raised during the 2013.

Main goals:

Creating of the new attractive area as the portal to the City

Maximum efficiency by using the site potential by respecting the character

of surrounding areas

Using the access to the train and bus station in the vicinity of the site

Perceptive reuse of the original structures and their regeneration in the

project /Malt house, Heating facility, 2 villas/

Synchronization of the design with the surrounding area and the technical

infrastructure

Variability in the realization of the design

Optimal disposition of the site concerning the sun trajectory

The quality of design towards the contemporary architecture is highly

stressed

Creation of the quality full micro scale public spaces, strict respect of the

urban composition rules

Esthetical and artistic tools used with common sense in the design

Applying the modern environmental approach in order to achieve healthy

nature like environment for the commoners.

Procedures and

actions

max 7.000

characters (spaces

included,

Please note: a

summary table/flow-

chart providing a

visual summary of

the issues is

welcomed.

Characters of the

“summary chart-

flow/table” have not

to be counted

Former military barracks in Nitra - Basic facts:

total area 4,9ha

Building area 15 556m2 /31,75%/

Floor area 97 355m2

Max. Construction height 24m /165,8m asl./

Greenery area 16 081m2 /32,82%/

Communications and solid areas 17 244m2 /35,20%/

Timeline:

1896 origins of the brewery

1920 wider offer of beers brewed in Nitra

1926 close-up due to the economical issues

1949 re-opening of the brewery

1992 private owner /reconstruction, modern technologies = increase of

production by 89%, 5. Largest brewery in Slovakia/

1997 brewery sold to Heineken corp.

2004 production moved to Hurbanovo, just administration left in Nitra.

2007 the announcement of the site regeneration project

2013 first structures were constructed

Main stakeholders:

Real invest assets, ltd. /investor/

City of Nitra, local managing authority

Architects and designers /GFI Studio, s.r.o., AAKH, s.r.o., Barak Architekti,

s.r.o., Nonconform architektur, s.r.o./

Local and regional authorities /Building permission process/

Inpek, s.r.o /construction enterprise/

Issues and challenges:

New functional use of the site /reutilization of historical buildings, public

spaces quality increase, commerce, leisure, housing.../

Reuse of the former structures, design of the new structures, urban growth

management

Agreement among the stakeholders, supervising of the project from the

point of General plan regulative.

Traffic solutions /concept, connections, capacities.../

Monument structures and historical values preservation, reuse of some

original structures

Greenery areas regeneration and preservation, evaluation of the necessary

cutting, new tree and shrubs planting quotas

Technical infrastructure reconstruction.

Urban and spatial regulative of the site /how, where, what.../.

Lessons learned and

utility

max 3.000

characters (spaces

include)

Please note: a

summary table/flow-

chart providing a

visual summary of

the issues is

welcomed.

Characters of the

“summary chart-

flow/table” have not

to be counted

The Former brewery area project is the example of the regeneration of the

Brownfield in the Centrum of the City, where the approach to the new design of

the place is perceptive, and offers the ways, how to regenerate the site by

keeping the quality full original structures and adding the new value of the

urban regeneration. The tools to achieve the goal putting aside the new

modern design of the site are the simple owners structure /the facility being

owned by 1 owner/ and the regular standard cooperation with the local

managing authorities. In the Building permission process the project was

evaluated firstly in the phase of Urban feasibility study, where all the important

aspects /General plan regulative, Historical structures preservation,

architecture, technical infrastructure, traffic solutions, greenery…/ could be

annotated by the professionals of the Municipal office and other public

managing authorities /Regional Monument board office, Local Environmental

office…/.

By acceptance of the regulative from the investor and designers the following

communication with the authorities, working out the next stages of the project

and finally obtaining the Building permission was smoother, comparing to the

other struggles, held by different stubborn investors elsewhere in the city.

Lesson learned: Communication between the investor and the managing

authority is the key to the successful regeneration of the abandoned urban

areas.

Bibliographic and

further sources

a) Bibliographic sources /web-sites

http://www.novanitra.sk/content/view/39/2/

b) Contacts/interviews

Name/Surname: Ing. Peter Malecký, Project Manager

Role in the USEAct Project: -

e-mail: malecky@wbapd.sk

tel. /mob. : +421 (37) 651 3888

Enclosed Pictures

Picture n. 1: Original picture of the brewery /round 1920/

Picture n. 2: Complex design of regeneration of the site /team of architects, 2007/

Picture n. 3: Brewery with the surrounding urban structure /team of architects, 2007/

Picture n. 4: Visualisation of the design / team of architects, 2007/