Proposal for the utilization and development of the Štvanice Island area in Prague - competition results

Public Anonymous Two-Round Competition for Design
Subject of the Competition: The city of Prague aims to maximize the potential of the Vltava River and its riverbanks and islands as an important part of the city’s public space. Therefore, the subject of this competition was a new definition of the Štvanice Island area and the articulation of its connections with the surrounding parts of central Prague as a component of the city's public intermediary space.
Organizer: The City of Prague
Secretary of the Competition: JUDr. Marek Bánský, Attorney, Prague 1, Elišky Krásnohorské 10/2
Date of the competition: October 5, 2012 – May 10, 2013
Jury: Aleksandra Udženija, Tomáš Hudeček, Petr Svoboda, Roman Koucký, Pleskot Josef, Jakub Fišer, Jakub Kynčl, Miroslav Cikán, Martina Forejtová; alternates: Bohuslav Svoboda, Pavel Richter, Tomáš Dolanský, Petr Kratochvíl, Adam Gebrian, Irena Fialová, Dan Merta, Ladislav Kuba, Ivan Březina
Number of submitted designs: 79
Total prizes and awards: 1.4 million CZK

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1st prize: not awarded

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2nd prize (600,000 CZK): RKAW s.r.o. - Radek Kolařík, Lada Kolaříková, collaboration: Kateřina Frejlachtová, Alan Hackl, Petr Šiřina, Martin Špičák, Petr Uhlíř

Jury evaluation:
The proposal offers various possibilities for the spatial arrangement of the entire island as an integrated part of the city. It proposes and enables different uses of the island based on the overall future dramaturgy prepared by a designated "dramaturgical team." Also included will be the emergence of a visual style for the island, which will contribute to a cohesive program concept and communication with the city's citizens.
The proposal describes independent and mutually independent, or conversely interconnected steps (scenarios) that can guide, slow down, or accelerate future development. At the same time, it creates general conditions for this. Not only in the form of the gradual clearing of the entire area of the island, modeling of the terrain, defining diverse areas, and overall landscaping and planting of trees but also, and primarily, in a proposal that is more prescriptive than regulatory, more landscape-oriented than constructed. This method of "strategic change options" corresponds to an uncertain and heterogeneous time, as well as the current ambiguity of the overall Prague development concept and promises harmonious development in the given location.
The author of proposal number 15 could become a partner for teams currently developing strategic and spatial planning documents for the City of Prague.

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3rd prize (400,000 CZK): Ondřej Chybík, Michal Krištof, Josef Chybík, collaboration: Matej Štrba, Martin Machala, Jana Matlovičová, Jakub Finger, Mirka Svorová, Denisa Václavová, Petr Soldán

Jury evaluation:
The proposal could bring a new type of urban landscape to Prague and its citizens. It builds on the tradition of Prague's islands, retaining greenery on Štvanice, but does not utilize the phenomenon of the island and river solely in a landscaping manner; it regularly alternates park areas with many other activities located in so-called clearings, whose usage varies over time and space.
Thus, Štvanice becomes not only an urban park but also a new space for the 21st century that develops, evolves, transforms, and maintains through the collaboration of the city and its citizens while providing space for new types of activities. The spatial concept for the solution of the island is simple, solid, and clear enough to maintain order among all the diverse activities that can be realized on the island. The main and circular communications serve it simply and logically. It also anticipates that 100% of the area of the island will be opened to all citizens of the city in the future. The phasing considers that the primary objective is to resolve the pedestrian connection to the island and stop the bypassing of the island by city transport; subsequently, sensitive and gradual landscaping and tree planting should begin with the participation of Prague's citizens.
The proposal can be criticized for its rigid adherence to a single 17m module of the tree planting grid, not entirely suitable selection of tree species, and a realization scenario too dependent on the quality of cooperation between citizens and the city, and vice versa.

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3rd prize (400,000 CZK): MOBA studio s.r.o. - Igor Kovačević, Yvette Vašourková, Kateřina Šrámková, Barbora Šimonová, collaboration: Markéta Mráčková, Micheale Porsia, Tomáš Papušek, Jiří Sádlo, Ilaria Crivellari, Julia Krzynicka, Javier Morandeira Garcia, Karin Grohmannova, Nerea Marquez, Saray Herrero, Martin Neruda

Jury evaluation:
The proposal captivated the jury mainly due to its exceptionally high-quality analysis in the textual part, where the author(s) state, among other things, that the future form of the island and its surroundings cannot be definitively "solved" within the competition. It points out that the 1995 general plan for the Vltava includes construction on Štvanice Island, which seems unacceptable in the current context of the city densifying along the riverbanks. The author also considers potential investment in a cultural public building that "parasites" on the environmental qualities without initiating positive changes in its surroundings to be indefensible. The author does not believe that the situation of the island can be "cured" by a prominent public building. On the contrary, the recreational role of the island is seen as genetically coded.
The solution proposal consists of creating initiation points, of which many can be agreed upon (tram stop, pedestrian bridges, pier...), but the specifically proposed form of many others raises skepticism (swimming pool – ice rink, terraces connecting sports areas, routing of pedestrian paths…). Despite these reservations, the jury appreciated the author's approach without grand gestures. It is a pity that the verbal description of the proposal did not find a more convincing fulfillment in the architectural design itself.

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The exhibition will take place from December 10, 2013, to January 31, 2014, at Kafka's House at Náměstí Franze Kafky 24/3, Prague 1 and will be open daily except Mondays (Tuesday to Friday from 1 PM to 6 PM, Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM)

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