The former Telecom site in Prague is set to develop 1,000 apartments for 6 billion CZK

Prague - Approximately 1,000 apartments worth about six billion crowns are set to be built on the site of the former Telecom area in Prague's Žižkov district. The winning project, Centrum Nového Žižkova, was designed by architect Eva Jiřičná. Dušan Kunovský, the owner of the development company Central Group, which owns the land, stated this at a press conference today. According to Jiřičná, none of the buildings will exceed 100 meters. The existing Cetin building measures 96 meters.

"The design has evolved in line with technology so that the result is interesting but also corresponds to the highest technical possibilities," Jiřičná stated. The three height-graduated towers with wavy designs and curved glass are planned to house premium apartments, while more affordable apartments are to be located in the adjacent urban block.

The lowest tower is expected to be around 80 meters tall, the middle one approximately 90 meters, and the highest will not exceed 100 meters. Almost 70 percent of the 39,500 square meters of space will consist of public areas with greenery. In the lower levels of the apartment buildings, Jiřičná has designed extensive commercial spaces for services, shops, restaurants, and cafes. The project also includes a preschool with a garden and a playground.

"We named the project Centrum Nového Žižkova because we are acutely aware of the need to create an attractive and lively public space in this part of the city, which is facing very dynamic development. A quality outdoor area with extensive greenery will allow people to spend their free time and meet. In short, to live in the city," Kunovský added.

The design has been criticized by the Club for Old Prague. According to them, it is not an architecturally and urbanistically well-thought-out solution, but rather a visually appealing concept of strikingly designed high-rise buildings. "The residential towers will enter the Prague skyline in an extraordinarily rude manner, thus amplifying an unforgivable mistake made by the municipal heritage department. That department approved the project of the same developer - the Garden Towers residential towers on Olšanská Street, despite being in the protective zone of the Prague Heritage Reservation," the club stated. They also called on the Institute of Planning of the Capital City of Prague and the monument department of the municipality not to support the construction. Their statement is being sought by ČTK.

According to Kunovský, height is always a big topic in Prague. He realizes that the construction will be highly debated and will also have its vocal opponents. "But where else should higher buildings be built than on a site where there is already a tall telecommunications building, and where everyone in Prague is already accustomed to a dominant structure," Kunovský further stated. He believes that the appropriateness of high-rise construction in this location was confirmed by the international architectural competition, where most proposals were around 100 meters, often reaching up to 130 meters.

Central Group bought the building from Česká telekomunikační infrastruktura (CETIN) of the PPF group in 2017. The former Telecom building was opened in 1980 and was once nicknamed "Štrougalova věž" after the then Prime Minister Lubomír Štrougal. It is now technologically outdated and non-functional. According to Kunovský, it will have to be demolished and ecologically disposed of due to the extremely high amount of harmful asbestos.

CETIN, which leases its fixed and mobile network to operators, plans to move from its Žižkov headquarters to an administrative building next to O2 Arena in Vysočany this year, which is being built by Kaprain Group and Lighthouse Group.

Architect Jiřičná is primarily known for her work with glass, metal, and concrete. Some of her most famous buildings in Prague include the Orangerie at Prague Castle and the Hotel Josef in the Old Town. She has also designed interiors for the Dancing House. In London, where she emigrated after the occupation in August 1968, she designed exhibition spaces for the Victoria and Albert Museum. She is a recipient of the Order of the British Empire, has been elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, and has been inducted into the American Hall of Fame.

In preparing the design, Jiřičná collaborated with the architectural and engineering firm ARUP from London. They have designed, among other projects, the completion of Gaudí's Sagrada Família cathedral in Barcelona and the Sydney Opera House.