Praha 8 did not come to an agreement with the winner of the competition for the new elementary school on Rohanský Island

Prague – The Prague 8 Town Hall did not agree on the creation of a project with the winner of the architectural competition AXXI for the new elementary school on Rohanský Island. The reason is the price for the project preparation amounting to 69.5 million CZK, which the office finds disproportionately high. The town hall will now negotiate with the next candidate in line. The deputy mayor Radomír Nepil told journalists today. The new school is intended to accommodate over 900 children in 27 classes, and construction was originally set to begin in 2025. The costs are to be a maximum of 979.8 million without VAT. A new district is being developed on Rohanský embankment and the island.

According to Nepil, during negotiations with the competition winner, both sides made several concessions that led to the contractor offering the aforementioned price for the project preparation. "That price seemed unreasonable to us compared to others in Prague. An assessment confirmed that the price is overstated. We will do everything possible to ensure that the school is built on time and within the budget we have," Nepil said.

The representatives of the town hall discussed various aspects with the winner that the district included in the competition conditions. These include, among other things, ensuring that the mentioned budget is not exceeded or that the used technologies are offered by at least three suppliers. Architects allegedly argued that the conditions were too strict, according to Prague 8 representatives. However, according to Nepil, the town hall had expert assessments done, which concluded that this was not the case.

Prague 8 secured funding for construction partly through so-called contributions from the developer building on Rohanský Island, which makes up about a third of the total amount. The remaining funds will be received by the eighth district from the capital city. "The contract with the developer was concluded last year, and we have the funds locked in for ten years," Nepil said. Thus, any potential delays in the start of construction would not cause the town hall to lose these funds.

The town hall will begin discussions with other participants in the competition as soon as possible. "We will invite the second-placed bidder to submit an offer, and they will have 30 days to do so. We have been trying to reach an agreement, and it took almost a year. And the result is somewhat disappointing for me, but I can't force anyone not to submit such an offer as they did," Nepil said. The second place was taken by the office Igloo Architekti, and third place went to Chybik+Kristof Associated Architects.

If the district does not reach an agreement with any of the participants, according to Nepil, it is possible that the architectural competition would be canceled. For the town hall, the total amount allocated for the construction of the school is non-negotiable. However, according to him, canceling the competition is a last resort that the town hall is trying to avoid.

On the right bank of the Vltava River, adjacent to Karlín and Libeň, the development company Sekyra Group is building a new district where it plans to construct around 3200 apartments and eight administrative buildings. The area of Rohanský Island was a riverbed until the first half of the last century, which was later filled in. In addition to private investments, a city park will be created here, where a nearly ten-ton bell marked #9801 will be placed, commemorating the bells confiscated by the Nazis.