New ČS headquarters in Smíchov will cost several billion CZK

Prague - The new headquarters of Česká spořitelna, which will be part of the Smíchov City project in the location of the former freight station, will cost billions of crowns. ČTK was informed today by the bank's spokesperson, Filip Hrubý. He rejected speculation from the E15 newspaper, according to which the cost would exceed ten billion crowns. According to him, ČS does not yet know whether it will own the new campus or if it will be rented.

"At this moment, we are still waiting for the results of the architectural competition. It is therefore still premature to speculate about the results of further negotiations that will influence whether we will own the new campus or if we will be renting," Hrubý said today. However, he noted that ČS prefers direct ownership of the building because its ambition is to create a campus that will be open to the local community, the residents of Prague, and the general public.

"A great inspiration for us in this sense is the headquarters of the Erste Group in Vienna, which has the character of a community campus with cafés and vibrant cultural and social events. We definitely do not want our new headquarters to become just another office building in the center of Prague," Hrubý pointed out. The headquarters will be built by the development company Sekyra Group.

According to him, the investment costs for the construction of the new headquarters are in the range of several billion crowns, but Hrubý did not want to speculate on what portion will be paid directly by the bank. The final move of the bank to the new Smíchov campus should take place in a matter of few years. "We will know a more precise timeline only after the architectural competition concludes, or rather after the construction itself begins," the spokesperson added.

The architectural competition, which has two rounds, was announced by the bank in cooperation with the MOBA studio. A total of six architectural firms that advanced to the second round must submit their architectural proposals, modified based on the jury's comments, by May 4. In June, the evaluation of the second round will take place, and the jury will select three finalists. The winner of the competition will be announced during the summer.

Česká spořitelna is the largest bank in the Czech Republic by the number of clients, with 4.7 million clients. The main shareholder of the bank is the Austrian Erste Group. Currently, ČS has its headquarters near the Budějovická metro station. It is not yet clear what will happen to this property after the completion of the new headquarters.