The glazed new building by the Vltava River in the center of Prague will, according to critics, influence the character of the waterfront

Prague - A glass structure with two floors has risen by Dvořák's Embankment during the overall reconstruction of the Prague InterContinental hotel, which critics say will influence the character of the embankment. Alongside concerns about the commercialization of the area, they mention light pollution in the evening and night hours and the generation of additional heat in the summer, which they claim is already enormous during this time of year. This was stated to ČTK by Richard Biegel, the chairman of the Club for Old Prague, and Tomáš Bajusz, who leads the Citizens of Prague 1 association. The new building will be leased by KodlContemporary for gallery purposes, a fact confirmed to ČTK by the director of its communications, Terezie Kaslová.

The gallery declined to comment on the critics' statements. "We would just like to point out that this is a gallery space, and the focus of our interest is art. Therefore, we will primarily illuminate the artworks, not the surroundings,” Kaslová responded.

The InterContinental hotel, owned by the R2G office of entrepreneurs Oldřich Šlemr, Eduarda Kučera, and Pavel Baudiš, has been under reconstruction since 2021 and is set to open this spring. As part of the project, which architect Marek Tichý has called the Old Town Gate, there were two glass new buildings. There was strong opposition to the larger one, which architects planned to place in Miloš Forman Square with the working name Brand Store, and it faced opposition from the ministries of culture and regional development. The second, built closer to the Vltava River and named Concept Store, went unnoticed.

The glass structure stands in a location where, according to Biegel, it cannot escape key views from Čech's Bridge and Dvořák's Embankment. This includes views of the neoclassical law faculty designed by Jan Kotěra from the turn of the 20th and 30th centuries, the InterContinental by a team of architects led by Karel Filsak from the turn of the 60s and 70s, as well as the intentionally left open space between them.

Biegel is concerned about the commercialization of the area due to the small new building. "This is not any temporary kiosk or newsstand. It shows how utilitarian development begins to privatize the space. If it was a price to pay for not building on Miloš Forman Square, so be it, but the recent steps by the city and Prague 1 do not suggest that,” Biegel said. He recalled that at the end of January, the representatives of Prague 1 decided on an international architectural competition for the next design of Forman Square, which is still an undevelopable area owned by the R2G office.

According to Bajusz, the new building and its operation will also influence the character of the embankment. "Regardless of the tenant, the glass cube will produce additional light pollution in the evening and night hours and generate additional heat in the summer, which is already enormous in the vicinity of Miloš Forman Square during the summer months. The construction of a second glass cube directly in the square has been cancelled due to the appeals of local residents, but the developer continues to try to break the undevelopability in various ways,” Bajusz stated.

KodlContemporary Gallery, founded by the son of the gallerist and auction house owner Martin Kodl, Jakub, is expected to open in the glass building around the middle of this year, according to Kaslová. "We plan to open after the construction is completed with the first exhibition. We will specify the date within a month,” she stated in response to ČTK. She added that the gallery will present recognized Czech and international artists.