Metrostav wants to start building a new company headquarters next year

Photo: Jan Malý - the current headquarters of the company

Prague - The company Metrostav intends to start constructing a new headquarters next to its current site in Prague's Palmovka at the beginning of next year. Metrostav plans to consolidate all divisions of the company into the new building, estimating an investment of about 500 million crowns for the construction. Roman Čihák, the director of project implementation at the subsidiary Metrostav Development, told ČTK today. There are also plans for further construction in the area, and the Prague 8 municipality would like to coordinate it. They have therefore assembled an advisory board, which met for the first time today.
    "We already have the land-use decision and the documentation for the building permit, which we would like to have by the end of the year. We assume that we would start the actual construction in January," Čihák told ČTK. However, the start of construction could be delayed by archaeological surveys, as there used to be a Jewish town in the area.
    The design of the new headquarters for Metrostav is by architect Josef Pleskot and his AP atelier, the same as the existing headquarters. The site will consist of three connected buildings with rounded corners. The headquarters will have about 17,000 square meters of gross floor area, with a parking garage for 180 cars in two underground levels.
    According to Čihák, the current headquarters and all divisions of the company will move to the new headquarters. The original building will host the company Subterra, which is wholly owned by Metrostav.
    Metrostav is moving, among other reasons, due to economic considerations, according to Čihák. Some divisions are currently located in rented premises, and the other buildings will be sold by Metrostav. In the summer, they already offered older office buildings for sale in Holešovice, Libeň, and Hloubětín. The construction company conditioned the sale on the stipulation that it could remain in the sold buildings until 2013. By then, they want to have the new headquarters completed.
    Metrostav is also planning further administrative construction in this area. A new Town Hall for Prague 8, along with a shopping center designed by architect Pleskot, will also be built in Palmovka. Extensive construction, mainly led by Sekyra Group, is also planned for the nearby Rohanský Island.
    The leadership of Prague 8 would like to coordinate all the development projects. They have therefore established an advisory board to consider the planned projects. It will include representatives from the municipality, architects, transportation experts, and representatives from developers. The first meeting took place today in Libeň Castle. "There are many places in Prague 8 awaiting development. Every project must be beneficial for the surrounding area and must move it forward," stated Jiří Janků, the mayor of Prague 8 (ODS).
    Metrostav is one of the largest construction companies in the Czech Republic. Since 1990, it has been the legal successor of the national enterprise that was established in the early 1970s.