Today, the Czech property developer CONTERA inaugurated the smart building Organica in Ostrava. The grand opening took place in conjunction with the Scandinavian company Tietoevry, a leading player in the field of digital services and software. All in the presence of the highest political representatives of the region – the Mayor of Ostrava and the Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region.
ORGANICA is clearly one of the most significant projects of the entire Moravian-Silesian Region. “Organica is a pilot project of Contera’s administrative development. We approached it responsibly and managed it very well,” says Martin Budina, project director of the Czech development company CONTERA, which is behind the building.
“The exceptional location, the high quality of the building and the excellent architecture are, in my opinion, the biggest attraction for customers and clients,” notes Dušan Kastl, Contera’s managing director. The cardinal client of the building is the Nordic company Tietoevry, which occupies approximately two-thirds of the building in Organica. “The move to Organica represents an important step in the development of our company. In 2004, we started with 50 employees in Ostrava and since then we have grown into the largest Tietoevry centre in Europe. The Organica building reflects current trends for hybrid working and provides the necessary comfort for our employees. The building’s environmental features, which are compatible with our company’s long-term values, also played a significant role in our decision. That is why we decided to move to state-of-the-art premises in the centre of Ostrava,” says country lead for Tietoevry Czechia Petr Lukasík.
Contera notes that Ostrava is gradually moving forward, freeing itself from heavy industry, working on transforming its green spaces and parks and other public spaces into a modern, Western-style metropolis. “In Ostrava, Contera has so far focused mainly on the development of industrial parks, but these are an important stepping stone for the development of higher value-added services. The city is also an important commercial hub within Central Europe and part of an agglomeration of several million people. We are pleased to have contributed to this development with our Organica,” adds Dušan Kastl, CEO of Contera.
Contera has been cooperating with the city of Ostrava for a long time and on several projects. An example of good cooperation is the construction in the developing Hrušov industrial zone. This was originally a so-called social brownfield, which was devastated during the 1997 floods. Organica has also become another exceptional project in the city. “Organica is a great example of the responsible approach of private investors to the place in which they operate. For one thing, there is a successful global IT company that is also working with the city on its development, and together with it a developer who has built a modern, ecological and interesting building. In both cases, these are significant achievements,” says Jan Dohnal, Mayor of the Statutory City of Ostrava.
As for the timeline of Organica’s project, the launch of the project falls in the third quarter of 2020. Construction began in July 2021 and Organica was completed and handed over to key tenant Tietoevra this August. “Overall, the project has been a challenging one, made all the more so by the times in which it has been built. In 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we were faced with an unprecedented and exponential increase in the price of building materials, as well as an acute shortage. The situation with human resources was similar. However, our team has shown extraordinary efforts and exactly 24 months after the start of construction we are standing in an approved building,” emphasises Project Director Martin Budina, adding that the entire project cost approximately CZK 1.5 billion.
Organica did not grow on a “green field”, but together with the surrounding buildings filled the site of the former Karolina coke plant. “This is therefore the final phase of the revitalisation of a huge brownfield site in the very centre of a city of three hundred thousand. Once a heavy industry, now a commercial and administrative centre supplemented by a residential function. The transformation of the whole area compared to the past is quite fundamental,” comments Martin Budina, Contera’s project director.
This goes hand in hand with Organica’s modern technology and especially its environmental friendliness. “The building has its own smartphone app that connects the building’s users and makes it easier for them to function in Organica. On the roof, you will find a photovoltaic power plant providing partial energy self-sufficiency, which is not usual for this type of building. The greenery is irrigated with rainwater. We must not forget the air conditioning with intelligent fresh air distribution, which, thanks to sensors, sends air primarily to where people are and where it is needed. Last but not least, the building boasts the prestigious BREAAM certificate at the Excellent level, which underlines its environmental friendliness,” summarises Martin Budina.
Organica has successfully opened, but Contera is not stopping there. “One area is the partnership with TPG and the building of industrial parks. This is our core business. At the same time, we want to focus on other segments, which are projects outside of the cooperation with TPG, such as Organica. It also includes smaller retail buildings, projects in the residential sector and interesting opportunities in the regions, for example, we are currently preparing a large residential project in Liberec,” concludes Tomáš Jirků, partner and CEO of Contera.
