The Italian studio Stefano Boeri Architetti has been announced as the winner of the international architectural and urban planning competition opened by Penta Real Estate at the end of last year for the Chalupkova project in Bratislava. The land is located in the Mlynské nivy zone and is bordered by Košická and Chalupkova streets.
83 domestic and foreign architectural studios met the conditions of the first round of the international architectural and urban planning competition and submitted their designs. From the submitted proposals, the expert jury selected three studios to advance to the second round of the competition: KCAP, Stefano Boeri Architetti and Baumschlager Eberle + Studio Perspektiv. Three other studios: Jakub Cigler Architekti, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and MVRDV were invited and advanced directly to the second round. The winner was the Italian architectural studio Stefano Boeri Architetti. The Bosco residential complex in Milan is among the most famous projects of this winning studio.
The expert jury on the winning proposal appreciated the contextual approach in designing the urban structure, based on the compact block development. The project will also include an open green inner block.
The project will bring approximately 1,300 apartments in four residential buildings and approximately 45,000 sqm of rentable office and commercial space to the territory. The start of the construction of the first residential stage is expected in 2026, depending on the progress of the permitting process and the ongoing change of the spatial plan. The project will be divided into four stages, and the implementation of a similar scale has a timetable of approximately ten years.
The Chalupkova project also includes an office building on Mlynské nivy Street, the design of which was not part of the architectural-urban planning competition but was taken into account in the proposed urban planning concept. The office building is based on a project the previous owner had approved by authorities. Penta revised the project with the Czech studio Jakub Cigler Architekti, and its construction work began at the end of last year. The office building project is divided into two stages. The first stage will bring 18,000 sqm of leasable office space and 1,000 sqm for smaller business operations. The anticipated date of approval is planned for the first half of 2026. The second stage will offer 14,000 sqm of leasable office space and also 1,000 sqm for smaller business operations. The start of the construction of the second stage will depend on the speed of the permitting processes, with the expected start of construction during the year 2026.
There is an environmental burden on the land where the Chalupkova project will be built. It was polluted by petroleum substances from the former Apollo refinery, which leaked into the subsoil after the Allied bombing in 1944. The cost of decontamination of the area will require an investment of several tens of millions of euros.
