Team MANDAWORKS have been announced winners of the landscape design competition to envision the future of Lake Milada in Northern Czechia. The proposal “Living Landscape” was selected through a two-stage selection process, firstly as one of six pre-qualified international teams, and finally from the narrowed pool of three-second phase finalists. The competition was managed and organised by Palivový kombinát Ústí, s.p. and ONplan lab.

In the 1970s, a large surface mine was constructed between the city and town of Ústí nad Labem and Chabařovice. The mine functioned on site until 1994 when operations came to an end, and a comprehensive reclamation process began. As a result of this process, the quarry transformed from an industrial crater to a massive 250-hectare lake – Lake Milada. An international competition was launched in 2020 to support the reclamation process and provide a guiding landscape vision, that imagines how the surrounding 10 km² of former industrial land could be developed, improved and enhanced for the benefit of the surrounding communities and visitors.

▼米拉达湖历史演变示意，Diagrams of the historical evolution of Lake Milada’s landscape © Mandaworks

“Living Landscape” is organized around three core principles: living nature, living destination, and a living future; The strategies present a clear pathway to reclaim, strengthen, and celebrate the existing landscape while developing novel and exciting ways to experience the Lake, and surrounding area.

▼湖区整体规划，masterplan © Mandaworks