The terraces of the Lucerna Palace

The Lucerna Palace is an iconic building of its time. Its idea is similar to another iconic work of this period: an ocean liner. Its internal street-passages invigorate the layout and connect the interior at the city level. At the roof level, the connection with the city takes place through its decks-terraces.
In the central part of Prague, these multi-level terraces are something completely exceptional. However, it was originally planned that the palace would be one floor higher and that the terraces would largely disappear.
We consider the space of the terraces to be public space. Their connection to the street and the city is ensured by a wide staircase and a paternoster elevator.
The terraces serve as a square at the roof level. Their main value is therefore that they are an emptiness that can be filled with a program.
Installations, concerts, and social gatherings take place on the terraces... In the fall of 2018, the terraces were covered with artificial grass; in December of the same year, they transformed into bath spas and during Christmas into an ice skating rink.
The area of the terraces is designed as a wooden deck. The wood on the terraces of the palace is an unusual material and provocatively foreshadows a certain temporariness and provisionality. At the same time, however, it allows for anchoring and screwing without damaging the structures, much like a stage in a theater…