We No Longer Think Like Just a Construction Company From Contract to Decision

“The results of our work remain visible for a very long time. If you do something well, it will be here for decades. If you do it badly, unfortunately, that will be here for decades too.” In this interview, Michal Bystroň, Member of the Board of Directors of BYSTROŇ Group, explains why the company no longer simply builds according to someone else’s brief, but now decides for itself what to build and who to build it for. Where have they decided to go next?

What was the turning point when you stopped being ‘just’ a construction company?

I don’t think there was one specific moment when we said to ourselves that from now on we were going to operate differently. It was more of a gradual evolution. With each larger contract, we gained experience, our team grew and improved, and we gradually became confident enough to take on bigger and more complex projects. However, I consider the point when we stopped thinking solely as a construction company that is given a project and expected to deliver it to a high standard to have been an important shift. We began looking much more closely at the entire process – from project preparation and economics, through the construction itself, to bringing the project to life and ensuring it works as intended.

The natural next step was our own property development. At that point, you are no longer simply the contractor. You take responsibility for the entire decision – what you build, who you build it for, how much it will cost, and whether you have correctly anticipated what that particular location will need several years down the line. I think it was this shift that gradually shaped us into the group we are today.

What have projects for universities and the public sector taught you? How important are they for the company’s continued growth?

Public–sector contracts are absolutely crucial for us and form an important part of the entire group. These contracts come with very precisely defined rules, and we have to be able to meet not only the required quality standards and deadlines, but also all contractual and technical requirements. With larger construction projects, this means managing a fairly complex process and coordinating a large number of people and different trades. Yes, in recent years we have very often worked for the University of Ostrava. In the past, this included several buildings for the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Arts. We are currently constructing a building for the Faculty of Science and working on the former Faculty of Fine Arts building in the centre of Ostrava. Alongside this, we also build sports halls for the public sector. In the past, these have included halls in Nová Bělá, Krásné Pole and Chlebovice, while we are currently building a sports hall in Koblov and preparing for the construction of another in Stará Bělá. We are also frequently involved in the construction of residential care facilities. Following recently completed projects in Krásné Pole and Horní Suchá, as well as the Hortenzie care home in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, we are currently constructing new buildings for the Domeček children’s home in Ostrava and the Větrný mlýn home for people with disabilities near Hranice na Moravě. The restoration of historic buildings and cultural monuments is another significant and prestigious part of our portfolio. Recent projects have included the renovation of the Ostravica fashion house, while we are currently carrying out extensive restoration work on Bruntál Castle and Žerotín Castle in Nový Jičín. Each of these types of projects gives us different experiences and helps us progress further. In education, we work with the needs of young people and modern teaching methods; sports halls bring specific demands and requirements that do not arise in other segments; in care homes, we create functional and dignified environments for the older generation; and with historic buildings, we restore historic parts of the structures under the close supervision of heritage conservation specialists, sometimes even using technologies and techniques that are no longer taught at vocational schools. We are currently delivering projects with a total value of more than CZK 1 billion. It is a very diverse portfolio, and what is important is that each of

Nové Lauby in Ostrava has been in use for some time now. How do you view the project with the benefit of hindsight?

Nové Lauby is certainly one of the projects I have a more personal connection to. Firstly, it occupies an exceptionally prominent location just a few steps from Masaryk Square, and secondly, we were not simply acting as a conventional contractor. We were the investors who bought the site, architectural study and project documentation, including the building permit, from the City of Ostrava. Only then did we become the builders. Today, I think the most important thing is that the building has truly come to life.

Right next to Nové Lauby, you are preparing another major project – Malé Lauby. What stage is the project currently at?

Malé Lauby has undergone some fairly significant changes recently. The original plan envisaged a different use for the building, but after reassessing the project from both an economic and conceptual perspective, we decided to shift it towards residential development. We approached Ateliér Štěpán to create the new design, and they are behind this change. The city has approved the revised proposal, and we are now continuing with the design development and planning approval process.

What exactly will Malé Lauby offer? And how will the building contribute to life in the city centre rather than simply serve its residents?

Malé Lauby will primarily be a residential development. We are planning approximately forty flats, but at the same time we want to retain an active ground floor, with spaces that engage with the street and can be used for services or other local amenities.

I consider an active ground floor particularly important in a city centre. If you build a property with nothing but garage doors or residential windows at street level, it does very little for the street itself. A city centre needs cafés, shops, services, restaurants and other places that encourage people to walk around and give them a reason to stay.

You are also preparing a new project, Rezidence Písečná. Where will it be located and what will it offer?

Rezidence Písečná will be built in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm. This smaller residential development will comprise two separate buildings with approximately twenty flats. As with Malé Lauby, the design is by Ateliér Štěpán. We are currently in the final stage of the design process and are preparing to submit our application for planning permission, which we plan to do during September. If everything goes according to plan, we would like to begin construction in the spring of next year and complete the entire project within approximately two years.