Preparatory work necessary for the demolition of Transgas has begun

Prague - Preparatory work has begun on the demolition of the Transgas building complex on Vinohradská Street in Prague. Due to the construction of scaffolding, a shelter in front of the entrance must be demolished using heavy machinery. Kristýna Křemenová, on behalf of the property owner HB Reavis, provided this information to ČTK in response to an inquiry. The company wanted to build several new structures on the site, but according to information from early February, it has started negotiations regarding the sale of Transgas. However, the demolition will proceed as planned. The intention to remove the buildings, which the state refused to protect, has provoked criticism from some experts.

"The preparatory work on the Transgas building will continue with the installation of scaffolding. For technological and safety reasons, it is necessary to remove obstacles that would hinder the erection of scaffolding. This includes, for example, the entrance shelter, the outdoor fountain, railings, and some elements on the building's facade," Křemenová stated.

The construction department in Prague 2 approved the demolition of the building complex on January 9. No one appealed the decision. Based on the issued permit, the owner has two years for the demolition. The company HB Reavis, which owns Transgas, started securing the complex with fences a few days after the permit became legally valid. According to Křemenová's earlier statements, the subsequent demolition will take several months. The work is expected to be environmentally friendly, and the company is also considering cleaning any potential pollution from the surrounding roads.

According to a statement from the company's spokesman Jakub Verner in early February to the E15 website, the company is currently negotiating with potential buyers regarding the sale of Transgas. The demolition of the building should proceed as planned, and any new owner would only be able to acquire the vacant land. Everything will depend on the speed of negotiations, according to Verner.

HB Reavis acquired the Transgas building complex in 2014 from the ČEZ company. In February 2016, the building owner announced plans to demolish the complex and construct a multipurpose building in its place, designed by the architectural studio Jakub Cigler Architects, which could be completed by early 2021.

The complex on Vinohradská Street is the work of a team including Jindřich Malátek, Ivo Loos, Zdeněk Eisenreich, and Václav Aulický. The intention to demolish the building complex has sparked debates about the architecture from the socialist era, which has both supporters and critics.

The Club for Old Prague attempted to protect the building complex from demolition by suggesting to the Ministry of Culture that it declare it a monument. The Prague office of the National Heritage Institute did not recommend the declaration, stating that "the area does not create an urban environment and materially and in scale disrupts the environment of the protected urban area." The ministry did not declare the buildings as monuments.

Supporters of the building rate it as an excellent example of stylistically synthetic architecture from the 1970s, combining elements of brutalism, technicism, and postmodernism, but also as a unique realization of postmodern urbanism in Czech territory.