Prague definitively rejects the blob at Letná

Prague - The City of Prague has once again distanced itself from the proposal of the National Library by Jan Kaplický for Prague's Letná. The city hall previously stated that the resolution from 2006 regarding the sale of land in Letná is no longer valid, and in the new zoning plan, the part of Letná that had long been designated for cultural construction is to be changed to a park area. The architect himself can no longer fight for the building for which he won the international competition. On Thursday, it will be a year since he suddenly passed away in Prague.
    However, his legacy is carried on, and his widow Eliška Kaplický has stated that she will continue to advocate for the construction. The Foundation for the Library also promotes the building and recently presented a new cost analysis. According to this, the library would not necessarily become several times more expensive, as its opponents have claimed for a long time, but could still be completed within the original budget of around two billion.
    There are several civic initiatives advocating for the construction of the library, several petitions with thousands of signatures, and the political party Blob, founded last year. "For now, we are gathering collaborators and supporters, but we would like to run in the municipal elections," said one of the party's founders, Martin Charvát, to ČTK. Supporters of the party have a presence on Facebook, and more about the party will be heard, according to Charvát, in the second half of this year.
    The Foundation for the Library is represented by architect and former Prague mayor Jan Kasl, AMU rector Ivo Mathé, and director Olga Sommerová. They have currently submitted a comment against the proposed change to the zoning plan. Prague has received hundreds of comments regarding the proposal, and will have to address them all, but this will likely take months.
    "This intentional blocking of the land, for which an international architectural competition was announced and for which, according to the resolution of the ZHMP from March 2006, a purchase contract was to be concluded, is seen as an attempt to avoid dealing with the problem of the inconvenient architecture of the winning proposal," the foundation states on its website. It proposes designating this area as a public utility space.
    Recent developments, however, suggest that the NK itself, unlike in the past, is not focusing on building a new structure. Instead, it plans to complete a depository on the outskirts of Prague and better utilize the historic Clementinum. A potential public building of such significance is largely a political matter, and it is unlikely that its fate will be discussed before the parliamentary elections.
    However, if the blob were to be built in Prague, the absence of its author presents a problem. Architect Eva Jiřičná has indicated that she will not only advocate for the construction of the library but might also take over the project and bring it to realization. However, the fate of the South Bohemian concert hall, which Jiřičná is also supposed to complete, remains uncertain.
    The most recent Kaplický project that will be realized is the Ferrari Museum in Modena. His collaborator Andrea Morgante will oversee the construction, who meanwhile has established his own practice, Shiro Studio.
    Kaplický's studio Future Systems split into two architectural firms shortly before his sudden death. Kaplický retained the name Future Systems and a team of four architects, while his former wife Amanda Levete remained in the original studio under the firm Amanda Levete Architects. Last autumn, Future Systems ceased to operate as an architectural studio and will transform into a foundation. Legal issues related to the late architect's inheritance are not yet resolved, according to the family's media representative Radek Zeman.
    Kaplický's death attracted considerable attention in Britain last year, and British professional journals Building and Building and Design returned to it in their December issues. The renowned Design Museum in London also hastily organized a retrospective of Kaplický's architectural designs in the summer, titled In Memory of Jan Kaplický, Architect of the Future.
    A major exhibition is also expected to take place this year in the Czech Republic, at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague. On the day of what would have been his 73rd birthday, which falls on April 18, the film by Olga Špátová, Eye Above Prague, will premiere. It will recount the story of Kaplický's proposal for a new Czech library, the complications surrounding its promotion, and events following Kaplický's death.