Praha 12 will investigate the shortcomings in the revitalization of Sofia Square

Prague – Prague 12 has filed a complaint against the contractor of the project documentation and the performance of author supervision for the revitalization of Sofia Square. This was stated today by the mayor of the district, Jan Adamec (Pirates), at a meeting of the Prague 12 council. The construction is in violation of the decree for barrier-free use of buildings. The National Council of Persons with Disabilities of the Czech Republic (NRZP) pointed out the shortcomings, among others.

The project documentation and the final execution of the modifications to the square will also be reviewed. The councilors approved the preparation of an independent expert assessment, based on which future steps and potential damage claims will be addressed. The resolution was supported by the majority of coalition councilors. Opposition councilors from the ANO movement and Change for Prague 12 did not support the proposal.

"We want to make the square as good as possible and eliminate defects, and we recognize that we need to find out where the mistake occurred, and we want to claim damages if the independent assessment indicates this," Mayor Adamec said at the council meeting.

According to the NRZP report, the constructed building does not allow for barrier-free access across the square, which was one of the conditions set for the public competition. "The construction does not allow for independent or safe movement for people with disabilities, for seniors, for people with small children or strollers," stated the NRZP. In the NRZP report, it criticized, among other things, the lack of marked steps and the absence of handrails in necessary places. Many of the identified shortcomings have already been corrected by the municipality, according to the spokesperson for Prague 12, Eva Burianová, or they are in the process of being resolved.

The violations of the decree regarding barrier-free use of buildings resulted from changes in the construction compared to the planned modifications of the square. The issues include steeper slopes on ramps and stairs than permitted. According to opposition councilor Michal Pinc (ANO), the constructed building does not correspond in many ways to the project developed in 2017. He pointed out that, for instance, the stone pavement was replaced with a cheaper concrete one, and waves and slopes were created that were not accounted for in the original project design. In 2017, the municipality was led by Mayor Milan Maruštík (then with ANO) and Deputy Mayor Jan Marhoul (then with ČSSD). They denied responsibility for the "unsuccessful reconstruction," as mentioned in their press release.

According to the author of the project documentation, architect David Kraus, the changes compared to the original document were caused by, for example, different placements of engineering networks than expected. Many modifications, according to him, were necessitated by the real situation, and it was necessary to react to these findings.

The Deputy Mayor of the district, Jiří Fremr (ODS), previously rejected that the management of the district was at fault in the case of the revitalization of the square. In his earlier statement on the Prague 12 website, he indicated that it is likely a mistake of the author's supervision, technical supervision, or the contractor of the construction work. According to the deputy mayor, they are responsible to the investor, among other things, for the compliance of the proposed solution and changes with the current regulations, standards, and decrees. "In our case, however, some enforced modifications that the audit points out do not fulfill this," he stated.

Prague 12 paid approximately 52 million crowns for the modifications to Sofia Square. The project documentation was created by the architecture studio, and the construction was executed by the company Gardenline. Construction work began in October 2019, and the reconstruction was completed last year.