Between the periphery in the center and the center on the periphery (II)

In the first part of our interview, we talked about the context of the creation of the center on the periphery. However, you also raise questions related to the opposite: the context of the creation of the periphery in the center… When did you come to these reflections?
I think it started when, after my breakup with Martin Rajniš, I needed to set up my own studio. I happened to walk through Smíchov and spotted a dilapidated and neglected, yet still beautiful house. I couldn't resist and approached the owner. To my surprise, we reached an agreement. With the help of a friend, I managed to buy that old transformer station.
It is located in an area that, together with the buildings of the city meat market and the baths, created a quality public space in front of the gymnasium Na Zatlance. The situation changed in the '90s when these buildings made way for the development of Smíchov, and along with the surrounding factories, they were demolished. In their place, a new large transformer station was built, which enabled the transformation of the district itself. Without it, the transformation of Smíchov wouldn't have been possible. Construction began on Zlatý Anděl, followed by Carrefour, today Centrum Smíchov, and more offices, multiplexes, hotels, and occasionally even residential buildings emerged. These new constructions began to relate to this space in a somewhat new manner, losing their memory: with reflection on the newly built monstrous structure of this transformer station. Specifically, most of them turned their backs to this space, and what used to be a relatively nice urban area became a supply, service yard, and parking lot; by our character and the way we treat this space, we created an area on the fringes of our interest – the periphery.
And yet, we are located in Smíchov – today a lively administrative and residential urban center of Prague. I mean, it has been a while, hasn't it? All of this happened long before our renovation of Uhelný Mlýn.



Buying an old industrial building in the center of the district, however, also represents a certain commitment…
Yes, not only a commitment but also a responsibility. We bought that old transformer station out of enthusiasm, but also with the intention of cultivating the whole place. The small transformer house, which is about 50 m², is connected to the properties of gaps between two streets. My friend, with whom I bought this facility, and I agreed on the significance of the place and decided to develop a cultivation project, as I already mentioned.

By the way, how do you perceive this visible expansion of the Smíchov center in relation to the city-wide center – Wenceslas Square? Isn’t Smíchov now a stronger center?
Yes, from the perspective of an ordinary resident of Prague, it probably is. After all, you have almost everything here – easily accessible, you can shop, arrange many things for normal prices – services, goods, and if not, it’s just a short distance to get anywhere. You have the metro, tram, you can drive here by car... And it’s also a short distance on foot.

What is the reason for this? What is the essence of this shift in energy?
If I set Smíchov aside for a moment, in my opinion, ordinary life is gradually disappearing from Wenceslas Square. It’s not even that much residential anymore; today it’s purely a commercial and administrative center, but a center without atmosphere. To me, it feels somewhat like a supermarket without people. And I’m not even talking about the current traffic restrictions… What has it benefited? What has changed because of this?
And when I return to Smíchov: over those 20 years, the district has undergone a significant transformation, and it continues to grow and develop. It still has room and potential for growth. A significant impulse that helped kickstart this transformation is the well-designed building of Zlatý Anděl – its massing and urbanistic solution, the resolution of access from the metro, and the new construction that followed, sometimes more successful, sometimes less. Unlike Wenceslas Square, it has the advantage of being a residential area. Even in the nearby surroundings.
Of course, there are also other significant meanings emerging in this urban scene: primarily the entire synergy of the place – after all, there is a transportation hub here, many roads converge, and additionally, Smíchov is located on a bypass, there’s the riverbank… The shopping center with services, which never existed here before, also plays and has played a significant role… And of course the metro entrance… By the way, the development of the district could be observed in the interesting shift of the sex shop; at first, it was on the corner and every three years it moved further and further from Anděl, and today you can find it by the riverbank. There’s still a bit missing for the entire riverbank to be settled. The attractiveness of certain places in the vicinity of Anděl is increasing.

Can you provide an example?
For me, one interesting example is the Movenpick Hotel – as a phenomenon of the future development of Smíchov. Even though I don’t like it as a building, I see it as a stronghold and a provisional support for the place. From the city’s perspective, if it weren't for this hotel, it might already be on the decline. But the hotel has sustained urban life to this day. It's a connector between Smíchov and Plzeňská. This is also confirmed by other Smíchov projects that are being prepared in the nearby vicinity. This is proof that this part of the metropolis also affirms its economic significance. As it grows, it becomes livable even in areas where we would never have expected it a few years ago. Through the cultivation and work with public spaces, this environment becomes a genuinely livable city. From a broader perspective, Smíchov represents a kind of urban reserve, connected to infrastructure; and it needs to be utilized. It’s better than building satellites or supporting non-economic investments outside the city.
By the way, this year has been, in my opinion, a pivotal year in this regard: luxurious French charcuterie and several new bistros have appeared in streets where I would never have expected it: these streets have a distinctly peripheral character, with a Roma population living here, etc. The attractiveness of the place is thus expanding and confirming that the city lives here and has the potential to support more people. Perhaps it is due to the right mix, because the district operates more broadly rather than centrally…



Let’s return to your transformer station and the intention to cultivate the surroundings…
The place was neglected, and it was and is necessary to establish order. Order in relationships, assets, but also in infrastructure. The place was fragmented into several smaller parcels, which had to be merged; however, there was another smaller transformer station in the way, and we had to ensure its relocation. The technical infrastructure had to be relocated. And with these modifications, zoning plans had to be brought into compliance, which was dependent on the stabilization of the city management and the individual offices dealing with the zoning plan.

And what are you doing today?
Currently, we are seeking the form of this place. And one of the possible variants is a temporary project.

Could you be more specific?
We are thinking about a temporary concept, a short-term project, a temporary construction, in the form of a container district, through which we would verify the functioning of the place as well as the parameters of the future project and its optimal use. The goal is to recreate a quality urban environment.



Are you not afraid of the power of Anděl?
But yes, we think about it. In terms of its content, services, and brands, and mainly the environment it offers, the Smíchov shopping center seems somewhat uniform and sterile. You can find hundreds of similar centers all over the world today. Therefore, we are thinking about the local character, about something like the charm of old Smíchov. At the same time, it feels like the center of Smíchov is expanding and is unable to cover the needs of the many people who flow through it daily, and I am convinced that a natural expansion of the center is within reach.

Could you summarize what topics and goals your project aims to address?
From an urbanistic perspective, this place is tucked away behind that impenetrable Radlická and is furthermore divided into two levels and a peak. On Kováků Street, which is level, and Na Zatlance Street, which rises uphill and is five meters higher than the level where we are located. We want to test whether this place can support two commercial parterres: one on Na Zatlance Street and the other on Kováků Street.

It will primarily be about testing the functionality of the parterre...
...but also possible permeability of the area, the method of parking on the property, the appearance of the streets, and the establishment of building lines, the scale of future buildings… Examining the relationship between the original transformer facility and the newly constructed gap that must reflect the new urban contexts and connections to the surrounding context. The connections from the past were severed in a rather brutal way. Connections created by the original buildings were interrupted, just as the context of the old market and public baths, which left behind an empty space, a gap, and stairs that have now lost their purpose. It is simply necessary to realize that the new transformer station fundamentally changed and reorganized everything around it, and that it is necessary to change the situation, possibly radically.
If I go into detail, another topic of our project is the conclusion of those two streets – Kováků and Na Zatlance. Within the entire solution, there is a tendency to calm that space and create a square. And an attempt to make the entire public space more livable.
So we have prepared a temporary concept for a period of five years; it should test the functioning on multiple levels, including the amount of public space that would be good to maintain here: perhaps not to the existing extent. We also wanted to test the height scale. This should actually be the basis, the assignment for our realistic future project.

How would you characterize the essence of the temporary concept?
It is a gradual search for the form and content of possible future use – in a sustainable way. And this is in the first phase for relatively little money, which would justify any future higher investment.
So now we are working with a type of container construction: specifically, these are shipping containers that are modified into commercial units, arranged in a way that evokes an urban environment. Well, and these could be built for just five years, that is the time within which we could sufficiently verify what the actual potential and possibilities of the place are. But it's also the time within which this initial investment should pay off.



So it is a mobile concept…
…that could be transferred, moved, further to other similar places that are waiting for their future use. By the way, one alternative was a move to Libčice in the form of housing or studios for students.

Shipping containers – so you are coming to Smíchov with a relatively unpopular method.
You can sometimes find similar concepts abroad. For example, in Australia, in London, a great concept comes from the Freitag company in Zurich. Not so much here; rather, there are modest things – although the KAVA studio used containers in a different context as offices for a storage facility. However, what is interesting about this variant in this location is the fact that we wouldn’t have to invest large sums of money to ensure that it would be the right decision for the future. And if it were a loss, it wouldn’t be so significant. In fact, it is often the opposite: large amounts of money can mean a renewal but can also block for a very long time if the decision and solution are not correct. Our attempt is both a test, but it could also function as advertising. We wouldn’t have to create complex marketing if we find that the place functions well. And it can also be a positive signal for our future project.

How can a loss be recognized?
Perhaps, if people aren’t shopping there, companies wouldn’t want to rent space there at appropriate rent, thus no one would feel the urge or reason to go there. And we wouldn’t have the money to repay the entire investment.



Could it happen that the reason would not be a flaw in the project, but low purchasing power? Or even poverty?
Yes, that can happen too. Yes, that’s how I imagine the invisible hand of the market... And we would be left with no choice but to leave the city. But seriously. We have been discussing this intensively lately. Personally, I advocate for creating a parterre in this locality with regard to the history, but also the future of this place in the context of the development of Smíchov and all of Prague. It is not enough to have just a quality building; it is important to have a quality environment as well: the context that surrounds the building. Then there is a reason to visit, to stay, to return…

Who would invest in the realization?
We ourselves – as owners of the land and the transformer station. We have time; we are waiting for the decisions of the authorities, and in the meantime, we are searching for the right form of its use. And we monitor the current situation. For example, this year, we experienced the place up close during this year's Designblok with a temporary concept from Ateliér live, when we temporarily moved our studio here. We had the chance to experience how the place works in the morning, at noon, in the evening, on Monday or Sunday. With the girls or the guys. With children or the elderly. How randomly passing people reacted to it diversely, but mostly positively.
For instance, one piece of information I acquired from the relevant authorities is that it will probably not be possible to realize housing here because emissions do not meet standards. And thus, it’s not possible to live in the city center. We say: have you lost your mind? And where else should one live but in the city? And that’s just one of many conflicting opinions we are trying to deal with. I ask myself, how much further have we progressed in our thinking compared to the state before the transformation of Smíchov began? Why are we still thinking in the parameters of norms from the 19th-century city, which addressed the conflict between production and life? However, our hygiene today still addresses production and housing, which is no longer such an urgent issue in contemporary society. Today, hygiene should rather address the relationship between the city and automobiles. More precisely, to create conditions for quality sustainable urban life.

How could your story be concluded?
As a true idealist, I envision the ending as in a proper fairytale where good triumphs over evil. Um… And I keep wondering why that studio isn’t there yet? And our Artotéka and our Gubi store. We acquired Uhelný Mlýn significantly later, and that’s already completed. Why?

Thank you for the interview.
Jiří Horský