Ostrava, Czech Republic

“Rethinking the typology of the skyscraper and its function to serve the public and activate the urban environment, one of our core missions was to create a positive social impact in the heart of Ostrava. The studio’s intention was to create a simple but powerful form that acts as a beacon in the city center,” says Michal Kristof, co-founder of CHYBIK+KRISTOF.

As the city of Ostrava tries to change its character and be cut off from its coal mining heritage, CHYBIK+KRISTOF unveils the Ostrava Tower, a 235-meter tall building that, upon its completion, will be the tallest building in the Czech Republic essentially becoming the city’s landmark.

Through the Ostrava Tower, the architects revive and reactivate the city center’s neighborhood. Their aim is to activate and reconnect the public place to its surroundings.

The project comprises residential units, offices, a congress center, retail services, and a hotel, together with a rooftop café, restaurant, and bar.

The plot is currently a left-over island, at the intersection between large traffic arteries, disconnected from the city center.

The building’s shape is inspired by its context reacting towards the views of the city and landscape: the lower part relates to the public space and the city structure, while the top shifts and becomes a lighthouse speaking to the city center.

The team intentionally designed the two widest spaces (the lobby and sky garden) to be used as recreational areas, inviting the public to activate the building’s public space.

The 56-story skyscraper underlines the studio’s dedication to rehabilitating the city center and activating public space within the tower and its immediate environment.

This peculiar x-liked shaped plan and with it, its diagonal shape and geometrical form, unifies the entire building, allowing its alternating levels of publicly accessible functions and private facilities to act in harmony.

The design of the building supports the multipurpose functions and enables the residential units’ panoramic views over the city and the surrounding landscape, while also providing privacy and substantial living space.

Project: Ostrava Tower
Architects: CHYBIK+KRISTOF
Project Team: Ondřej Chybík, Michal Krištof, Martin Křivánek, Martin Žatečka, Vadim Shaptala, Martin Holý, Denisa Annová, Ivo Stejskal, Ondřej Švancara, Benjamin Daniels, Emanuele Faggion, Jan Šefl, Natália Korpášová, Gabriela Voláková, Roman Chervonnyy, Sophia Tligui, Marek Frait and Anna Serysheva
Engineers: Bollinger+Grohmann, VIN Consult, K4 Architects & Engineers, INKOS-OSTRAVA
Lighting Designers: ATELIER DEK
Development & Marketing Strategists: Henceforth
Marketing & Media: SILVER B.C.
Illustrators: Alexey Klyuykov
Photographers: Alex Shoots Buildings