A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PASSERINVEST GROUP AND ECE – FOR THE BENEFIT OF KAROLINA

Designed in harmony with the overall urban concept of the existing centre of Ostrava, the joint project between Passerinvest Group and ECE aims to transform the Karolina site into a bustling and modern city district, where people will enjoy shopping, working, having a rest and living. In the pursuit of this goal, ECE intends to build a truly unique shopping arcade. Passerinvest Group is committed to pay due regard to the pattern and height of the existing buildings in the centre, as well as the transport infrastructure and historical/social context, providing a wealth of experience in the field of residential and office development. With regard to the focal point of the development, both partners are considering an idea of a so-called Twin-Hall complex, an active public space designed to link the old and new parts of the city. It is hoped that an efficient transport infrastructure, including parking facilities, will be developed in the wide area/on the site, and easy access from Karolina to the development area on the opposite bank of the Ostravice River will be provided. The project includes new squares, parks, gardens, children’s playgrounds and relaxation/sports zones – all set amidst greenery and water areas adjacent to the bio-corridor and river. Incidentally, the existing developments in the vicinity, including historical buildings, have received careful consideration. Take the old brick buildings of assembly halls, for instance, which will remain as remnants of the industrial past and whose sensitive integration into the new development and effective utilisation for the benefit of the general public are under consideration. The total costs associated with the Karolina project are estimated at almost CZK 10 billion.

“We are aware that Karolina is a very valuable area which has every chance of becoming the heart of Ostrava. It deserves a highly sensitive approach not only during the planning stage, but rather throughout the whole implementation process. Especially vital will be permanent and intensive collaboration with the city authorities, along with some amendments and changes to this “lively” project, which will be necessary during the construction with regard to the stipulated purposes. I do believe that we are ready to adopt such an approach,” says Zbyněk Passer, Board Member, Passerinvest Group. “It is not that we are planning only a commercial development: the point is that we are striving very hard to work out a comprehensive solution for dealing with the whole area, we intend to build a bustling city. Together with ECE, we form a very strong team with a proven track record and long-standing experience. I believe that we will provide residents of Ostrava with the best solution – an elaborate plan with reliable guarantees of implementation,” adds Z. Passer.

Passerinvest Group, a. s., is a Czech developer who has been operating on the Czech market for fifteen years. Established in 1991, the company has gained a wealth of experience in the area of development of residential, commercial and office buildings and complexes. With their multi-purpose BB Centrum at Prague 4 – Michle, Passerinvest Group ranked among the leading Czech developers, acquiring a good international reputation too.
BB Centrum is one of the largest and most successful development projects in the Czech Republic. Under development since 1997, the multi-purpose complex has all the makings of a city district, with a wide range of purposes: office, housing, retail, restaurants and services, as well as sports and relaxation. In addition, the project includes parks, a church/community centre, tennis courts and modern sports facilities offering an extensive range of services. Ample parking facilities and easy traffic access are guaranteed too. The high quality project has appealed to renowned companies (Hewlett-Packard, 3M, Eurotel, Microsoft, General Electric, Strom telecom and so on) which have chosen the site for their headquarters. On completion of the whole project, whose eight phases out of the fifteen have been crowned with success, BB Centrum will provide over a 300,000-sqm usable area and approximately 6,000 parking spaces (with most of them in the underground car park). The total costs associated with the BB Centrum project are estimated at over CZK 15 billion.

ECE Projektmanagement (ECE) is the European market leader in the sector of inner-city shopping centres. Having more than forty year’s experience in the field, they have been conducting their operations in the Czech Republic since 1995. The company are currently involved in management of 82 shopping centres in Germany, Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Czechia and Qatar, whose total square area is some 2,400,000 sq m, another 13 centres are under development/construction, and their completed projects are valued at about CZK 270 billion.
As the ECE shopping facilities are usually integrated into city centres, the company closely co-operates with city authorities and prepares individual plans tailored to particular qualities of each site. The ECE centres are not only many different shops under one roof – on the contrary, they are bustling, impressive and architecturally significant shopping arcades which attract inhabitants like magnets, breathing some life into the city centres. On no account can they be mistaken for ordinary supermarkets and hypermarkets that can be frequently seen in suburban districts..
In March 2005, ECE launched their recent project, Galerie Vaňkovka in Brno. The scheme was developed on the site of a former factory (known as Vaňkova), which, thanks to their brick façades, had been seen as a symbol of the industrial growth in 19th century Brno. The Galerie Vaňkovka is very easily accessible as it is located between the general railway station and the central bus terminal, lying within a few minutes’ walking distance of the pedestrian precinct in the centre of the city and in proximity to the ring road. The Galerie offers about 1,000 parking places and has been popular with inhabitants of Brno and visitors alike since its inauguration. Its unique architecture and mix of services was appreciated by the panel of experts who chose the Galerie Vaňkova for the winner of the Shopping Centres category of the Best of Realty 2005.