The Story of
Vlněna Project
Vlněna was one of the oldest and most extensive factories in Brno for processing wool. The beginnings of this complex date back to the 18th century, when Josef Biegmann’s textile manufactory came into existence.
In the first half of the 19th century the factory was run by the Bochners family, in the second half of the 19th century the textile factory was operated by the Stiassny family until the Second World War.
After World War II, the factory was nationalized and merged into the Vlněna national company. The administrative headquarters of Vlněna were placed in the administrative building of Bochner Palace. The object was used for textile production until 2008.
In 2016 CTP started the re-building of the areal to the multifunctional office, retail and lifestyle campus. Vlněna is going to be a new self-contained city quarter of bustling shops, bike paths, grassy gardens and the refurbished Bochner Palace.
Main architect Václav Hlaváček from Studio acht about Vlněna:
“We have always sought to derive from the natural forms and logic and poetics of natural arrangements. This approach is also reflected, in a broader scope and scale, in the creation of natural urban concepts and master plans, such as those of the Vlněna and Ponávka developments.
In Vlněna, the unconventional organic shape of the H building, the white “flagship” of the entire complex, reacts to the prominent building location within the area. The building is located in the main entrance corner of the site and welcomes visitors into the new square in the middle and also neighbours the diagonally led main street. It is in this locality that many people are expected to move around and “wash” the building from three directions.
A pebble was the inspiration, whose curved shape is determined by the flow of water. For our physical stream of people, the building must not be a barrier, but an object that welcomes one to enter the newly emerging urban block that is designed to smoothly, almost organically, connect with the surroundings. The visually exposed building is meant to always look a little different depending on the viewer’s position. This optical changeability naturally fits into the chosen concept of intermingling organic streams.
I absolutely agree that biomimicry is of growing importance for design and architecture. Thanks to current technical and technological improvements, we can adapt more quickly and efficiently the internal form of architecture, considering the natural needs of the user as it is in the applied arts and industry.”
About Brno
Brno is one of Europe’s premier business-smart destinations. It is a highly attractive city with an excellent infrastructure, cultural life and location. With several world class universities and a student population of over 90,000 young people, Brno offers one of the highest graduate pools in the region.
The availability of IT, economics and business students is one of the main factors attracting investors to the city, combined with a growing pool of international, skilled talent in the sector.
Brno has consistently been recognized over the last decade amongst the top business friendly European cities/regions. This is based on the city’s economic growth, development strategy, investment incentives, public investment projects and overall investment attractiveness.