Metroprojekt: artists of metro D must collaborate with architects

Metro station in Saint Petersburg

Prague - The condition for artists' involvement in the final design of the stations of the Prague metro line D is their collaboration with the station architects. They must build upon already developed proposals, which they will expand. Jakub Hynek from Metroprojekt stated this today. Deputy Mayor Petra Kolínská (SZ/Trojkoalice) said on Monday that the competition for the design cannot be announced due to the lack of permission from the designers. Prague residents and experts protested against the original design, and the city promised an artistic competition. The D line is planned to initially run from Pankrác to Písnice to ease the load on line C.

According to the company, artists are to design enhancements to the existing architectural proposal and collaborate with the station architects. "When you want to build a house, the architect will propose how it should look in unity of its function and appearance to meet your everyday needs. Then you can invite a designer or artist to propose the interior, for example, furniture, carpets, paintings, or decorations. Both must collaborate on the proposal," said David Krása, the general director of Metroprojekt.

Thousands of people requested the announcement of architectural competitions in a petition. The city then promised at least an artistic competition that would not interfere with the already approved project but rather only with its appearance, such as the materials used or lighting.

On Monday, Kolínská announced that the city would not be able to announce the competition. "There was a meeting on Friday, where a solution was not found. I think it is a disgrace for this city," she said. The reason is the lack of permission from Metroprojekt to waive copyright and allow the selection of a new artistic form for the stations. Metroprojekt refused this, reportedly only requiring that the future artistic design respects the basic principles of the already completed and approved architectural proposal.

Metro D will connect the center with the southern part of the city. Construction will first start on the section from Pankrác to Písnice. In the next phase, the remaining two stations Náměstí Bratří Synků and Náměstí Míru will be built. The construction of the first part should be completed by 2022, but it is unclear whether the proposed deadline will be met. So far, it has not been possible to acquire all the land necessary for construction at an estimated cost of 51.4 billion crowns.