/en/article/19181/az-tower-not-only-height-record/ AZ Tower: Not only height record
AZ Tower: Not only height record

AZ Tower: Not only height record

On Wednesday, 20th April at 1.30 pm the company AZ Tower will officially launch the construction of the highest building in the Czech Republic – thirty-storey AZ Tower skyscraper. This exceptional building, whose developer is Properity, will be built in the emerging Jižní centrum (South Centre) in Brno. AZ Tower, after its completion in 2013, will not only be the Czech height record holder, but also quite a substantial injection in Brno real estate market, especially thanks to its 9,000 sqm of office space.

The building, distinctive for its architecture and height, will be built between Pražákova and Heršpická streets near M-Palác. This new Brno landmark will consist of two blocks, between which a tube with communication core – staircase and elevator shafts – will be inserted. The entire project will offer over 17,000 sqm of retail, office and residential space available both for sale and for lease. The entire space comprises 9,000 sqm of office space, around 4,000 sqm of shops, and for those interested in luxurious housing there will be 18 suites ranging from 64 to 215 sqm. Two underground floors will provide parking space for 265 cars.

An atrium with a reception, shops, a café, meeting rooms and archives will be located on the ground floor; a restaurant will occupy the third floor. There will be 12 suites on the last six floors of the total of 30, while luxurious maisonnette flats with outdoor swimming pool will be at 28th and 29th floors. Other floors are designed for office and commercial space. A complex of showrooms and conference rooms is planned for the adjacent building, which will be part of the property. This part of the project will be completed with an eight-storey glass tower, where passenger cars will be on display.

Low-cost building

The uniqueness and originality of AZ Tower will not be ensured only by its height and stunning views of Brno and Pálava. There is also an exceptional architectural design of the building by architectural studio Burian a Křivka. Unusual buckling and deformation of one of the facade blocks, consisting of large glossy glazed tiles in two colours, will catch one´s eye at first glance. Terracotta colour reflecting the sun´s rays will gradually move in a blend with white clouds.

Another story of the project is the technology used – the skyscraper has been designed as a low-cost building starting from its first architectural studies. Thirty-metre deep energy piles, completely unique in the Czech Republic, will, thanks to heat pumps, generate heat in winter and cool the building in summer. There is also a unique system of natural and forced ventilation in offices and flats. It is also planned that the entire south facade of the elevator shaft, which has a total area of seven hundred sqm, will be covered by photovoltaic panels that could serve as a source of electricity and deliver it to the common areas of the building.

Height is not everything

The building itself will be 109.5 metres high (Prague City Tower is 109 metres high), but along with the transmitter, it will eventually hold the Czech record of 111 metres. The original plan was to have even greater height, however, the implementation of this plan was not possible due to safety requirements for air space above the Moravian capital. It is a coincidence that the general contractor of the project is PSJ Jihlava, which participated in the completion of the City Tower at Pankrác, still the highest building in the country.

The question is how long AZ Tower can hold its primacy of the highest building in the country. Architect Eva Jiřičná designed a 117-metre skyscraper. It should also be located in Brno and its investor is HS-Investment. A kind of “provisional” height record holder for Brno will be for some time the administration building, currently under construction by CTP, in Spielberk Office Centre which has 85 metres. The construction costs are estimated at CZK 800 million. UniCredit Bank will have a share in financing.

Market capacity in Brno strengthened

AZ Tower will not only be the highest skyscraper, but also a considerable addition to Brno commercial real estate market capacity. According to recent reports, the office segment has already shown some recovery. Brno, according to the Regional Research Forum, currently has 343, 000 sqm of office space – 79 % of which are A-class, and the remaining 21 % are B-Class. The tenants’ interest has been slightly increasing lately – last year's gross demand, including renegotiations and leases, amounted to 35,000 sqm. On the contrary, 38,300 sqm of vacant office space was recorded in Brno at the end of 2010 and the vacancy rate reached 11.2 %. Two admin buildings – CTPark Brno Honeywell Office Campus (8,000 sqm) and Magnum Centre (5,700 sqm) – were completed in Brno in 2010. It should be approximately 17,500 sqm this year.

“We hope to improve the quality of Brno property market and help for other similar buildings to be built here. We would like to attract more foreign investors to Brno and to support the efforts of local companies to improve the conditions for investors and for companies looking for interesting places for their investment and business,“ said Jan Skoupý, Chairman of the company AZ Tower, which manages the project, a subsidiary of Brno development company Properity. Properity has successfully completed a number of residential projects in Brno and its surroundings as well as Eden commercial complex. In addition to AZ Tower, Properity is currently preparing Boskovice residential complex with 172 flats, among others. The future highest Czech building should be completed on 30th April 2013.

 
 
Autor: SF / Petr Bým, Dátum 26.04.2011