Praha will announce competitions for the metro stations D Náměstí bratří Synků and Náměstí Míru

Prague - The Prague Public Transport Company (DPP) will announce architectural competitions for the design of the interiors of the future metro stations D Náměstí bratří Synků and Náměstí Míru. This was ordered by the councilors of the capital city today. The stations are to connect to the currently under-construction section between Pankrác and Písnice. The announcement of architectural competitions was ordered in April this year at the initiative of the opposition party Praha Sobě by city councilors. However, according to the chairman of Praha Sobě, Adam Scheinherr, the competitions approved today are insufficient.

According to the approved document, the competitions will focus on the interior of the stations, including cladding, lighting, furniture, and artistic solutions, but not on the placement of stations, type of excavation, or spatial parameters of the platforms and escalators. "The subject of the architectural competition may or may not include the design of public spaces immediately adjacent to the station," the material further states.

At the April meeting, Prague councilors instructed the councilors, among other things, to ensure the start of the design for the metro D section from Pankrác to Náměstí Míru and to announce architectural competitions for its two stations. The resolution was initiated by Praha Sobě, whose chairman and former councilor for transport Scheinherr criticized the final form of the competitions today.

"A serious architectural competition is done differently. Architects must have the opportunity to influence more than just the artistic appearance of cladding, lighting, and benches. Much more important is to design a quality internal layout, the solutions for entrances, and the surroundings of the new stations. Prague's metro deserves more; this is a wasted opportunity – especially since the construction schedule allows for ample time for thorough preparation," Scheinherr stated.

Deputy Mayor for Transport Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) stated that DPP is limited in the area by surrounding development, geological conditions, and the technology of metro construction. "It is necessary to approach this sensitively so that it can be technically realized at all, and for that reason the competition will be set up to address what people will see," he explained.

In the past, thousands of people requested through a petition architectural competitions for all stations of the new metro line, but designs from the company Metroprojekt already existed, and the city leadership ultimately decided at least on competitions for their artistic design. DPP recently presented the artistic appearance of the Libuš station that emerged from the competition; for the stations Pankrác D, Olbrachtova, Nádraží Krč, Nemocnice Krč, and Nové Dvory, the company selected artistic solutions earlier.

Currently, DPP has been building the first section of metro D from Pankrác to Olbrachtova since 2022. The construction of the connecting section from Olbrachtova to Nové Dvory was supposed to start already, but due to delays caused by complaints to the antimonopoly office, the preparation has been significantly delayed. Additionally, a section from Nové Dvory to the Písnice depot will be constructed. The original completion expectation for the section from Pankrác to Písnice was 2029, but due to disputes, the commissioning is now expected no earlier than 2031. According to the current schedule, the construction of the metro at Náměstí Míru could begin in 2036.