The winning design for the Vítězné náměstí building is by Benthem Crouwel International and OVA

Prague - The author of the winning design for the construction of the so-called fourth quadrant of Vítězné náměstí in Prague 6 is the Dutch and Czech studio Benthem Crouwel International and Opočenský Valouch Architekti (OVA). The winning design was presented to journalists today by the organizer of the competition, Petr Návrat, and representatives of the city. The international jury of the competition selected from five final designs; second place went to the Czech-Dutch group Cityförster and Studio Perspektiv, while the Czech office A69 – architects took third place.

The fourth quadrant is set to feature a multifunctional facility with apartments, offices, shops, services, and restaurants. A new university building will also be constructed there by VŠCHT. In addition to classrooms and facilities for students, there will also be spaces for the public and a microbrewery. "For our university, this means a significant increase in the area available for teaching students, which will allow us to move lecture halls and seminar rooms from the old building to the new one, and we can then repurpose the old ones into laboratories that our school needs," said Milan Pospíšil, the university's prorector for strategy and development. According to him, a center for Czech dairy products could also be created in the fourth quadrant to complement the portfolio of chemistry.

The construction will also include a new cultural center for Prague 6 with two halls, which is expected to provide spaces for concerts, exhibitions, theater performances, as well as social and community events for local residents. "We have insisted that a large cultural center, which is missing in Prague 6, should be part of it, and I think that a cultural facility that will connect the Dejvice campus and the students there, while also being located in the square that is considered the heart of Prague 6, is in the right place," said Jakub Stárek (ODS), the mayor of the district. The spaces, two halls, will be underground. The main hall is expected to accommodate up to 1,000 standing persons.

The jury met in June, followed by a debate between the investor and the architects regarding the conclusion of a contract. According to Stárek, who was also among the jury members, the first building could be completed in four to five years.

The land in this area is mostly owned by Fourth Quadrant s.r.o., which groups real estate companies Penta Real Estate, Sekyra Group, and Kaprain. Other landowners include the University of Chemistry and Technology, the City of Prague, and the Prague Public Transit Company. VŠCHT sold the land to developers and will use the money obtained to build a new university building.

Vítězné náměstí was created in 1925. Its urban concept was designed by Antonín Engel but was never completed. This will be changed by the construction of the fourth quadrant. Vítězné náměstí has had several names; for example, from 1952 to 1990, it was called the October Revolution. However, it has become popularly known among Praguers as "Kulaťák."