Reconstruction of the house at Jungmann Square

A distinctive Art Nouveau corner building at the head of Národní třída was constructed in 1906 as the residence of the Central Bank of Czech Savings Banks, with several apartments on the upper floors. The building has never been significantly altered. In this regard, it represents a nearly unique construction entity within the Prague Heritage Reserve, as there are relatively few similarly authentically preserved buildings here. The structure was declared a cultural monument after World War II; however, the significance and technical condition of the building gradually deteriorated, and for the last few years, it remained more or less empty. While shops still operated on the ground floor, the rest of the building was in an emergency state due to long-term neglect of maintenance. Unfortunately, this situation is relatively common, in contrast to the intact architecture of the building in the center of Prague, and is related to mass speculative real estate purchases in the 1990s and their systematic degradation.

The reconstruction project was developed and gradually implemented from 2015 based on a competition announced by Generali, which purchased the building to rescue it as an exceptional monument in a key location in the center of Prague. It built upon the plans of the previous owner and the PP studio, which were significantly reworked. The actual design work was preceded by the preparation of an in-depth architectural-historical survey and extensive archival research, which uncovered several hidden authentic elements and understood the delicate structural nature of the building.
The newly designed use is based on the original function of the building. The ground floor commercial units are operationally connected to the spaces in the second floor and the basement. An office floor was created on the third floor, and the last three floors are adapted as accommodation facilities.
The external appearance of the building, except for the ground floor, has been reconstructed to its original form, with great attention paid to the precise interpretation of historical color shades, predominantly green tones of the façade, window frames, and floral metal elements on the grilles and balconies, as well as the restoration of the two-colored slate roof with an applied graphic motif. In the area of the complex roof landscape, the original Art Nouveau roof greenhouse was restored in a manner that, due to the technique of layered glass applied to the original restored structure of subtle rolled T profiles, is remarkably interesting and, in a way, groundbreaking within the reserve. On the ground floor, large-format display windows were made around the entire perimeter of the building, which, while reminiscent of the original artistic solution, feature a contemporary appearance made of glass and subtle copper lines. Nevertheless, to underscore the artistic and craftsmanship beauty of the object, the copper details were designed in a smithing or, if you will, handcrafted manner.
The interior spaces of the house can be divided into two parts – operational areas of individual floors, which correspond with their interiors to the proposed function and conservation requirements, and common areas of the building, which were meticulously restored. In a small space, one can encounter a variety of artistic-craft elements and techniques – a range of plaster finishes in both gypsum and stucco, artificial marbles enhanced with gilding, complex ceramic and terrazzo inlaid floors, richly patterned metal railings, and above all, the colorful diversity characteristic of Art Nouveau architecture. The only new element that complements this part is the lift shaft, a wall of lacobel inserted throughout the height of the building and unobtrusive metal door frames for the lifts, also executed with a lacobel surface.

The object at Jungmannovo náměstí 1 was completed at the end of 2018 and is certainly an example of responsible investment in the restoration of a protected historic building. The complex yet interesting work, full of finding new techniques and their combinations leading to the rescue of the house and its restoration for contemporary needs, lasted over three years.