Open Budejovice Budvar – Budweiser Brewery

From plant to park.

Location

České Budějovice | CZ

Client

Budweiser Budvar

Status

first prize international competition

Period

2024

Role

visitor center, skywalk, public space, light structure, rooftop gardens, climate-robust planting, street refurbishment

Partner

Lasovsky Johansson Architects

Budweiser Budvar organised an ambitious international competition in 2024 to develop a visitor centre, a car park and a skywalk where visitors can move freely, are invited to ramble through a “brewery corridor” and discover Budvar production plant and community.

Historically, the brewery surrounded by green gardens was a distinct feature in the northern part of České Budějovice. The goal of the project is to create an attractive symbiosis between a public robust park and the preservation of commercial flows. By strengthening the ecology and by creating new connections to the city, a new space is created where industry, biodiversity and community meet. We want to achieve this in several ways. Green structures will be integrated into the existing area, both in the elevated park and in the open space. In the longer term, we dream of the brewery becoming part of the east-west connection of the larger green-blue infrastructure.

The vision of the project is to open the brewery to the public and offer a unique experience that combines traditional brewing with a modern public space. We were inspired by the typical landscape of hop farms, where the rhythmic avenues of posts supporting hops create an iconic image. This structure of lanes is the basis of a modular system adaptable to different locations and functions. Hops are a key component of the brewery industry and the production process. It served as inspiration for the green strategy of the brewery park that would create a harmoniously diverse range of vegetation with climbing plants as a unifying pattern. This high-quality public space above the production area allows visitors to explore the factory up close but in safe proximity without disturbing logistic flows. The brewery would become a tourist destination while remaining a qualitative space for workers and staff.