The project of the architectural firm Šebo – Lichý and ITB Development, Čerešne Fine Living, in the borough of Dúbravka in the Slovak capital city of Bratislava, was launched in 2016. At that time the site was abandoned and in a very poor condition. This potential gateway to Bratislava was an unappealing and neglected colony of unmaintained gardens and the inaccessible area of the heating pipeline was overgrown with vegetation and weeds with no social, urban or recreational potential. The developer has designed a multifunctional complex with a predominance of housing units, based around a central, park-landscaped courtyard. The first phase already indicated that it would be quite a pleasant development that places strong emphasis on community.
The creed of the newly emerging Bratislava district Čerešne was to urbanize a neglected area with an architectural plan that combined the characteristics of a closed and open block with the advantages of open and closed urban construction.
The initial stage of the design of the first urban block at Čerešne, with its distinctive black tower on the corner and dynamic, horizontally-structured residential tectonics, was well received by the public and found its clients, who have already taken up residence in their apartments. The courtyard of the block's intermediate space has become a popular place for residents who actively utilize the community spaces. The first residential environment of Čerešne was finished with a work of art. A parametrically-designed architectural structure symbolizing the entrance portal of the newly emerging district, which was created as a result of a student competition involving Czech and Slovak architectural schools. During the first stage of construction, the first 178 flats with partial amenities were built in a one-storey base near Polianky Street, which will be expanded in the next stages of the area’s development with new and comprehensively designed facilities for the public street space.
Čerešne Lake follows the urban structure of the Čerešne residential complex, with which the architectural firm Šebo Lichý continues the established trend of achieving a high quality, sustainable urban environment. Throughout the complex, multi-storey and low-rise housing is being developed in a variety of community and individual housing forms, with each house having an individual and original architectural design. Six residential buildings arranged in a line respecting the contour lines of the sloping terrain create three inner courtyards with differentiated programmes of leisure, recreation and outdoor activities for the residents. Each building has a differentiated architecture following the configuration of the terrain with the aim of creating a personalized living environment for each tenant. The buildings have different configurations of dynamic facades, structured individual and pavilion balconies, internal and external transverse communication spaces between courtyards, as well as the parterre and roof landscapes with duplex apartments. The vertical nature of the steep terrain is characterised by monumental semi-open staircases with vertical gardens and landings with mature greenery, in addition to the inter-block slope with ramps and green architecture.
Park landscaping, playgrounds, and areas to walk with prams, and do outdoor fitness are, according to ITB Development and the architectural firm Šebo Lichý, visions of creating a welcoming space that is centre stage for playing children and for creating neighbourly, social and friendly relationships. Therefore, emphasis is placed on the residential courtyards as well as the urban modernist and romantic character of the project, reminiscent of terraced housing, a traditional urban courtyard and a garden city. On the parterre, you will find shops, ground floor flats and duplex apartments with front gardens. On the higher floors, flats and rooftop duplex apartments. The area contains sufficient green areas as a humanizing element in relation to the urbanized areas. The courtyards are mainly used for the recreation and relaxation of residents and visitors, but the concept of the whole project also allows for their community use as, aside from playgrounds for different age categories of children, the project also envisages community gardens for the shared activities of the residents.
Team:
Architects: Architekti Šebo Lichý
Investor: ITB Development, a. s.
Authors: Tomáš Šebo, Igor Lichý, Juraj Mihálik, Aleš Hradecký, Imrich Vaško, Emanuel Zatlukaj, Juraj Murín, Dominika Podolská, Jakub Vydra, Branislav Groch
Cooperation: Juraj Fabrici, Patrik Bartas, Teodor Pongo, Sofia Lichvárová, Miroslava Šišková, Katarína Frivaldská, Denisa Pavkovček Šťastná, Katarína Filipková, Andrea Moravčíková, Matúš Godiš
Main contractor: ISE, s.r.o.
Photographer: Tomáš Manina