The main problem of the main train station is the parking, said the chairman of the committee

Prague - From the competitive dialogue related to the Prague main train station, it emerged that a fundamental problem of the station and the entire locality is the parking lot on the roof of the new check-in hall. In today's discussion on the proposal for transforming the station and its surroundings organized by the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA), this was stated by the chairman of the evaluation committee of the competition, architect Jaroslav Wertig. The winning proposal from the Danish studio Henning Larsen Architects faces criticism from the public and some experts.

The competition was organized by the Railway Administration (SŽ), the Prague City Hall, and the public transport company of the capital city. It concerned the new check-in hall, Vrchlického sady, and the planned tram line from Vinohradská Street around the station to Bolzanova Street. It took the form of a so-called competitive dialogue involving experts and representatives of various institutions.

Critics of the winning proposal especially dislike the plan to demolish part of the hall, on whose roof there is a parking lot by the main road. However, according to Wertig, the solution to the parking lot proved to be crucial during the competition. "The role, as it was responded to by the individual competitors, demonstrated that the existence of the parking lot is the problem of the entire area. And that is where different views emerged on what to do with the parking lot," said the architect.

He added that if someone had told him at the beginning of the dialogue that the roof of the new hall would be removed, he would not have believed it. "So I understand why the discussion is so heated," he said. However, according to him, it is not an unconsidered decision stemming from a momentary idea but a result of some path and process.

An online petition against the proposal was created, demanding primarily the preservation of the entire hall, which, according to the petitioners, is a valuable architectural structure from the 1970s. After the presentation of the winning proposal, conservationists intervened, claiming that the hall is subject to heritage protection of the historical Fant's building. A definitive conclusion regarding the heritage protection has not yet been reached, and the organizers of the competition are disputing it with the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ).

The legal security of the competition was handled by the law firm Havel & Partners. One of its partners, Josef Hlavička, stated in today's discussion that the heritage protection of the hall, from the perspective of project preparation, is actually not that significant. He further stated that, due to the location of the station in Prague's heritage reserve, it would be necessary to obtain permission from heritage protection authorities, and it is also possible to intervene in cultural monuments according to the law.

Jakub Hendrych from the City Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) mentioned that the goal of the dialogue was to unify various projects into a single proposal. He added that if the competition organizers had prior knowledge of the heritage protection of the hall, they would likely have chosen the path of a separate architectural competition for it. "But we really did not know," he said.

The comprehensive connection of all three intentions was also a priority for the architects of the winning team. Greta Tiedje from Henning Larsen Architects stated that her team considered the untapped potential of the park, the absence of its connection to the hall, and the lack of connection to Fant's building as the main challenges. "Our goal was to create new connections," she said.

A significant element of the proposal is the wooden roofing that will cover the area from the main road to the planned tram stop in Vrchlického sady. Another member of the author team, Mikkel Breck, stated that the columns of the roofing connect to the Art Nouveau arches of Fant's building and the entire space is to be open and filled with natural light. He added that by removing the shops in the upper part of the hall, which will be preserved, there should be sufficient space for waiting. If it turns out that more space is needed, he indicated that there are ways to achieve that.