Prague announced the results of the architectural competition for Štvanice

Prague - Prague announced the results of the architectural competition for the future appearance of Štvanice Island. The expert jury did not award the first place, the second was won by the RKAW studio, which wants to preserve the atmosphere of Štvanice. The proposal contains several possible variants for the future of the island, including a footbridge from Rohanský Island. It also considers the possibility of a significant building with a large hall or the demolition of the current buildings of the tennis club. The final form will be decided by the leadership of the capital city.
    The city has known the winner since May. However, it did not present it, as one of the participants appealed to the Office for the Protection of Competition (UOHS).
    Mayor Tomáš Hudeček told ČTK that the winning proposal allows for a variant solution for the island and suggests how Štvanice could further develop. When and whether the proposal will be realized will have to be decided by the council and the city council, primarily concerning the allocation of funds in the budget.
    According to the commission chairperson Aleksandra Udženija, about ten to 15 million crowns are currently prepared in the city's budget for project documentation. This is expected to ultimately cost around 35 million crowns. According to her, work on the modifications should take at least five years, and the total costs cannot currently be determined. It will depend on what Prague wants to implement on the island.
    The realization of one of the variants would, according to the calculations of the winning architects Radek and Lada Kolařík, take about 46 months and cost nearly 400 million crowns excluding VAT. This includes a footbridge from the Rohanské embankment, an underpass under the Mánes bridge, demolitions, and park modifications. Other variants address the possibility of preserving the current buildings of the tennis club, replacing them with another structure, or constructing on the site of the former winter stadium. A second access footbridge from Bubenské embankment could also be built.
    According to the architects, a new building with the potential to become a prominent landmark could be "a more pronounced solitary building of extraordinary social significance" with a capacity of 2000 seats and a height of 45 meters. This description recalls an earlier idea that a concert hall could be built on the island.
    The third place in the competition was shared by the studio of Josef Chybík and MOBA studio s.r.o. The architectural competition was held in two rounds. In the first round, the jury selected the eight best proposals from 80 contestants. Prague intends to exhibit all competition projects for the public. They will be accessible from December 10 to January 31 at the Kafka House at Franz Kafka Square.
    The heritage-protected stadium on Štvanice from the 1930s was demolished by Prague in May 2011 due to allegedly poor technical condition. The demolition provoked discontent from a large part of the public. A year ago, the city announced a competition for the restoration of the entire island, in February the commission selected finalists and in May the winner. However, due to the appeal to UOHS, it did not make it public. The announcement of the architectural competition was positively evaluated by experts because the vast majority of contracts for architectural projects in Prague have so far been resolved through commercial competitions, where the price is primarily decisive.