The center at Masaryk Station will be created according to the design by Zaha Hadid

Experts and preservationists are unwilling to comment on the project, as they believe a mere visualization is insufficient. Architects contacted by ČTK need to know the project documentation to express an opinion, and the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) has yet to receive the materials for assessment. "For our own assessment, the relationship between the new building and the surrounding development, both Masaryk Station and the buildings on Na Poříčí street, is crucial," says Ondřej Šefců, director of the NPÚ office in Prague.

He reminds that this location is in the Prague Heritage Reserve, which is "well visible from significant viewpoints at Vítkov or from the Powder Tower and other locations." "A completely key factor is the height of the planned buildings, which should not exceed the level of related developments, set approximately at a height of 32 meters above ground, derived from the buildings on V Celnici street," he stated.

"From the perspective of heritage care, respectively NPÚ in Prague, the declared dominance of the complex is unacceptable, as it would disturb the horizon of the Prague Heritage Reserve. Regarding the mass of the construction, more detailed study of the documentation and comparison of the drawings with reality is necessary," said Šefců. However, NPÚ does not issue binding opinions for construction proceedings; that is the responsibility of the heritage department of the Prague city hall, which sometimes has a differing opinion from NPÚ. According to Richard Biegel from the Club for Old Prague, the intention is not sufficiently urban-forming; rather than completing the urban structure, it is an architectural gesture. "From our perspective, it cannot be taken too seriously," he told ČTK.

The studio's project won a competition against a number of other domestic and foreign architect proposals. Another significant world architect, Daniel Libeskind, was also interested in building, Dospiva stated. Unlike domestic studios, the winning design recognized the importance of the plots behind the bus station. Although currently neglected, they have the potential to create a vibrant square and can establish a functional connection between two metro stations and a pair of Prague train stations.

The first phase could, according to Dospiva, begin construction within two years, during which the company needs to obtain all necessary permits. In this first stage, approximately 45,000 square meters of administrative and retail space are expected to be created, which is roughly similar in size to the adjacent Florentina building.

The main building located between the station and Na Florenci street is intended to resemble train tracks with its facade, which will symbolically end with a transition into a kind of golden tower. This is meant to reference the appearance of the Masaryk Station's tracks and also to add another landmark to the capital city. The width of the resulting street is to be approximately equal to the height of the surrounding buildings. This is a mass distribution that, according to psychologists, has the best effect on the human psyche, Dospiva added.

For the first phase, Penta purchased land from Czech Railways this January for 235 million crowns. The company requires a total of 22,000 square meters of area. Besides Czech Railways, which have already preliminarily agreed to the sale, part of the land belongs to ČSAD Praha Holding. According to Dospiva, Penta is also negotiating the sale with this entity. If obtaining this land proves unsuccessful, there will be one less building. However, this would not affect the concept of the entire project.

The project for construction near Masaryk Station is over ten years old. In 2004, Czech Railways signed an agreement under which Penta had a preemptive right on the territory. The agreement also stipulated the calculation of the final price, setting 7,200 crowns per square meter for future office and other spaces. Since then, the carrier has tried repeatedly to negotiate a higher price but ultimately agreed to an amendment to the agreement that at least adjusted the previous payment date.