A wooden roof structure will rise at Prague's main train station

Prague - In the future, a wooden roof structure will be created in front of Prague's main train station, connecting the ticket hall, Vrchlického Sady, and the planned new tram stop. This is part of the proposal by architects from the Copenhagen studio Henning Larsen Architects, who won a competition regarding the redesign of the station and its surroundings. The winning design was presented today at the Prague Center for Architecture and Urban Planning by representatives of Prague and the Railway Administration (SŽ). The transformation of the station and the adjacent park is expected to begin in 2028 and is estimated to cost around two billion crowns.

The focus of the competition, which started last May, was a comprehensive solution for the station and its surroundings. The competing teams were tasked with designing a new appearance for the ticket hall, which SŽ plans to reconstruct. For the city hall, they addressed the modifications of Vrchlického Sady and for the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP), the tram line that will lead from the National Museum to Wilson and Washington Streets toward the ticket hall and then along Opletalová Street to Bolzanova Street.

Of the three finalists, the evaluation committee chose the proposal from the Danish studio, which according to its members harmoniously combines architecture, urbanism, landscaping, and transportation function. "Although the proposal seems quite radical, it has dealt well with the space located in the Prague monument reserve. It preserves historical architectural elements, which it further develops, and also takes into account the renewal and revitalization of the space in front of the Fant Building," said the committee chair, architect Jaroslav Wertig.

The dominant feature of the design is a large wooden structure that will arch from the new ticket hall toward Vrchlického Sady. Underneath it, a wide staircase will connect the area in front of the station with the level of the main thoroughfare, which will lead to a new crossing over the busy road toward the historic Fant Building. The area in front of the station will also be modified, with a new tram stop being created.

"Our ambition is for the new station to be not only a sustainable and functional mobility center but also to become part of people's daily lives and a place where they can meet and spend time," said Jacob Kurek, director for the global market of the winning studio. According to him, the team's goal was to achieve the best possible connection between the hall, the Fant Building, and the park into a cohesive whole. This was appreciated by the general director of SŽ, Jiří Svoboda. "What impressed me most about the proposal is the comfortable connection with the Fant Building," he said.

According to the Deputy Mayor of Prague for Urban Development, Petr Hlaváček (STAN), after the proposal is realized, the currently unpopular park will transform into a much more welcoming place. "Additionally, (the proposal) includes numerous new and attractive elements for visitors, such as water features and outdoor cafes," he stated. The transformation of the park, now unflatteringly nicknamed Sherwood by residents, was also appreciated by the mayor's deputy for transport, Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates).

In second place in the competition was the team from the Barcelona studios Miralles Tagliabue EMBT and OCA architects, and third place went to a consortium of the Czech studio re:architekti, the Italian atelier baukuh studio associato, and the Italian studio Yellow Office. The winning studio will now sign contracts with all three competition clients, namely the Prague City Hall, SŽ, and the public transport company of the capital. Subsequently, the architects will refine their proposal into the form of an architectural study, which the public will be able to comment on at the turn of this year and next year. After that, the studio will prepare project documentation for the approval process.

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