Architectural competition for the expansion of the Prague Congress Center

Prague - The Congress Center Prague (KCP) is likely to be expanded towards the Nusle Valley. KCP expects the expansion of the building to increase exhibition space. The exact form of the expansion should be determined by an architectural competition, which may take place by the end of this year, KCP director Michal Kárník said today.
    The expansion of exhibition space is intended to make KCP more attractive to organizers and clients of congresses that require space for accompanying exhibitions. The northern facade of the building is expected to move up to 25 meters towards the edge of the Nusle Valley. This option has already been approved by the company's board, Kárník noted.
    According to the director, the question is how it could be accomplished. There are two opinions - according to the first, only the facade will be moved, but its appearance would not change. According to the second, the appearance of the building completed in 1981 would also change. It is also not yet decided on the nature of the expansion, whether the facade would "take over" the current terrace and create, for example, a passageway, or whether the building would expand from the first floor, allowing people to walk underneath it.
    The method of expansion should emerge from the architectural competition. "The decision on its possible announcement will be made by the board in the summer," Kárník said. The evaluation of the competition would take place in 2015.
    The owners of KCP are the state through the Ministry of Finance and the City of Prague. In the coming years, it is set for a complete reconstruction, for which Prague will allocate 800 million crowns. The boiler room, internal spaces are in poor condition, and the audiovisual systems also need to be repaired.