The construction management system ensured the flexibility of the revitalization of the area around Masaryk Railway Station. This also takes into account the specifics of construction in the historic center of Prague

Prague – One of the most prominent projects of the present, which gives a face to the center of Prague. This describes the revitalization of the Masaryk Railway Station area, led by Penta Real Estate in cooperation with Czech Railways and the Railway Administration. The project also involved K4 Architects & Engineers, which was responsible for the project management of the various components of the project through a construction management system. Although not widely used in the Czech Republic, this system is nonetheless more flexible and generally financially advantageous compared to a general contractor, and Penta Real Estate is among the few companies that utilize this construction method.

The reconstruction and modernization of the historic Masaryk Railway Station spaces were the initial step that initiated extensive construction modifications in the immediate vicinity of the station. Its transformation was followed by the construction of Masaryčka, based on the design by the architectural studio Zaha Hadid Architects. In June of this year, the hotel on Hybernská Street, The Cloud One, opened to the public. The planned roofing of the platforms, expected to be completed in 2027, falls under the Railway Administration. K4 Architects & Engineers also participated in managing the implementation of certain parts of the project, which involved project management for the construction work.

"On the site of the original brownfield owned by Czech Railways and Penta, a project is emerging that combines several interesting elements. In the first phase of the transformation, the investor aimed to modernize the existing building of the Masaryk Railway Station while preserving the atmosphere of this historic transportation building. In the Masaryčka project, Zaha Hadid utilized the potential of the location and integrated a modern architectural element that still relates to the history of the site. The hotel on Hybernská is also specific, as its architectural solution supports the urban concept of the newly emerging area," explains the project Vladimir Pacek, director of K4 Architects & Engineers. The historical location brings its specific challenges even within the project management of construction.

Long-term cooperation between K4 A&E and Penta Real Estate

K4 A&E and Penta Real Estate have previously collaborated on several projects around the Masaryk Railway Station. This included managing the construction of the Florentinum administrative complex and the Motel One building, which are structurally interconnected. This cooperation continued in the revitalization of the area around the Masaryk Railway Station, where K4 A&E was responsible for the project management of the construction of the various project components. This involved project management of the work at Masaryk Railway Station, where the company managed the reconstruction of certain areas. A whole range of retail units was modernized in the station building, enhancing the comfort for travelers, such as the relocation of ticket offices.

K4 A&E also participated in the construction of the multifunctional building Masaryčka. "Specifically, this involved work on administrative buildings A and B. Most of this work was completed in the fall of last year, and we are currently finishing the final fit-outs of the leased spaces. For example, Penta has been using its offices since the fall of 2023," describes the current work Pavel Weisz, director of the project management division at K4 Architects & Engineers.

K4 A&E was also responsible for project management of the construction of administrative buildings at Winston Churchill Square and the hotel on Hybernská. The work on The Cloud One hotel project began in March 2021 with the demolition of paved areas and the preparation of the site for further phases of construction. The completion of the hotel this year enhanced the undeveloped space at the busy intersection "U Bulhara".

Time flexibility and financial savings of the construction management system

For projects in the Masaryk Railway Station area, K4 A&E utilized the construction management method, which offers an alternative to a general contractor. It involves direct management and control of the construction, including selecting individual suppliers and coordinating them throughout the entire construction process.

According to representatives of K4 A&E, most contracts in the Czech Republic are realized through general contractors, even though construction management services can save investors significant finances. "This approach to project implementation gives the investor broader opportunities to influence the construction process, whether through optimizing time for design and construction, greater flexibility of the construction itself and change management, or financial savings on the construction itself," explains the advantages of construction management Pavel Weisz.

Indeed, greater flexibility compared to a general contractor is one of the main benefits of construction management. The company solicits multiple firms for individual tasks or groups of tasks that meet the requirements for quality and timely completion of the work. "Through construction management, we divide the contract into meaningful units based on the type of activities and then coordinate the construction. What a general contractor typically does internally, we do on the investor's side," says the director of the project management division at K4 Architects & Engineers, adding that management companies must enter this management system with experience and market knowledge.

Ensuring contractor firms

Overall, many companies participated in the revitalization of the Masaryk Railway Station. "We collaborated with about 50 contractors, which is a standard number of firms we are used to working with within our projects. To successfully complete the construction, it was necessary to conclude about 150 contractual relationships for work and product deliveries. Some firms were awarded work repetitively," details Pavel Weisz regarding the construction management system through construction management. During the construction, about 330 workers from contractor firms worked on-site, which K4 A&E coordinated and controlled. The oversight activities also included monitoring compliance with safety working requirements.

For K4 A&E, 15 people worked on the Masaryčka project. According to Pavel Weisz, the demand for the number of workers at constructions managed by a general contractor is generally lower than at constructions managed via construction management, as the general contractor usually has no need to continue handling tenders for individual works after the construction starts.

Specifics of construction in historic Prague

The revitalization of the Masaryk Railway Station is composed of various phases, each with its specifics. One of the initial phases was cleaning the original brownfield before the construction modifications, associated with an archaeological survey. An archaeological survey was conducted from 2017 to 2020 before the construction of Masaryčka. K4 A&E oversaw the salvage archaeological survey conducted by a team led by Mgr. Martin Vyšohlíd from ARCHAIA Prague z.ú.

As the project is located in the fortification zone of Old Prague, the survey uncovered a significant quantity of finds – about 400 transport boxes. Due to the uncovering of the fortifications, modifications to connections of engineering networks had to be made to allow construction to begin in 2021. During the work on another phase – the construction of The Cloud One hotel, where the archaeological salvage research took place almost throughout 2021, part of the walls was bridged by the actual construction, and a part can be seen behind the hotel's display window from its northern side. The exploration in this area partially uncovered the foundations of the Gothic Horské Gate and many other objects and situations, including remains of baroque bastion no. XXIII of St. Nicholas.

Part of K4 A&E's work was also to address the specifics of construction related to its location in the historic center of Prague. "For instance, when a new sidewalk is built in Prague, it must be made of small stone cubes, commonly referred to as the Prague mosaic. This is a standard set by the Institute for Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague. There are only four companies in the Czech Republic that can create this mosaic," explains the specifics of construction in historical areas by the director of the project management division at K4 Architects & Engineers, also pointing out the shortage of workforce capacity in certain segments of construction.

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More information about the Masaryčka project
The following data pertains only to the construction, excluding interior solutions.

• Investor: Penta Real Estate, s.r.o.
• Year of realization: 2017-2023
• Scope of K4 A&E's activities: construction management
• Construction costs: over 1.5 billion CZK

More information about The Cloud One hotel project
The following data pertains only to the construction, excluding interior solutions.

• Investor: Penta Real Estate, s.r.o.
• Year of realization: 2021-2024
• Scope of K4 A&E's activities: construction management
• Construction costs: about 800 million CZK

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K4 Architects & Engineers
The company K4 Architects & Engineers has been involved in designing buildings and their project management for over 29 years, with over 1,500 successful implementations domestically. The firm's portfolio includes administrative and commercial spaces, industrial and logistics areas, as well as residential buildings, healthcare projects, and energy sector projects.

K4 began as a regional office in Brno and now also has a subsidiary in Prague at Kubánské náměstí, with an annual turnover of around 200 million crowns. Projects include the Technology Park in Brno, Nová Zbrojovka, revitalization of Masaryk Railway Station, Florentinum, and the New Waltrovka area in Prague, modernization of the bus station in Brno, the Nová Karolina shopping and entertainment center in Ostrava, the reconstruction of individual branches of České spořitelna throughout the Czech Republic, or the Wellness Hotel Vista in Dolní Morava. The firm collaborates with both emerging architects in Brno and renowned architectural studios such as Jakub Cigler Architects, Burian–Křivinka Architectural Office, Chybík + Krištof Architects, Kuba & Pilař Architects, and others.