Experts are selecting from architectural designs for the restoration of Štvanice

Prague - An expert commission has been selecting the best from eighty proposals submitted by authors for the architectural competition for the redevelopment of Štvanice Island in Prague since Thursday. Over the weekend, it is expected to choose three to ten projects that will advance to the second round. From these, the final winner will be chosen, according to whose design the island will be transformed, said Aleksandra Udženija (ODS), the property councilor, in response to a query from ČTK.
What exactly the authors propose in their studies, the councilor did not want to disclose due to the competition conditions. According to information from ČTK, the studies include, among other things, a concert hall, the location of which has been debated in Prague for many years.
The conditions of the competition were approved by the city council back in September. Among other things, it was determined that the first phase of the island's revitalization should cost up to half a billion crowns. In the first round, participants were to submit conceptual proposals by the end of January. The proposals are anonymous, identified only by serial numbers, according to the councilor. This is intended to prevent potential bias among the assessors.
The authors of the most successful proposals will be invited by the jury within a month to submit developed and refined projects. The winner, who will be chosen by the commission at the beginning of May, will produce project documentation for 35 million crowns. In the middle of the month, Prague will then publish the results and exhibit the studies. Udženija has previously stated that the island should be a place for sports activities, relaxation, and cultural events.
The vast majority of contracts for architectural projects in Prague are resolved through commercial competitions, where the lowest price plays the biggest role. Architects have consistently criticized this approach. They want the city to place greater emphasis on organizing conceptual competitions.
Štvanice Island in Prague got its name because hunting (štvanice) of game took place there in the 19th century. In the past, ice houses also operated there. In the 1930s, an ice rink was built on the island, which was demolished in 2011 due to poor technical condition. The stadium was protected as a monument, and its demolition was opposed by monument conservators as well as a large part of the public.