Astra Palace

The Astra Palace is the first functionalist monument built between 1925-27 in Prague according to the design of the prominent Czech architect Ludvik Kysela for the industrialist and trader August Lindt. An interesting aspect of the construction is the combination of the progressive functionalist concept of the building with pseudo-Rococo stucco decoration of the former Astra café on the first floor and the Cariocca wine bar in the first basement, designed by the Berlin architect Paul Sydow.

In the years leading up to the renovation, the first four floors housed the Kanzelsberger bookstore with a café. The upper floors served as offices, while the basements contained the Cariocca wine bar and the technical facilities of the building. The facilities and technologies of the building required extensive modernization.

After the bookstore moved out, the property owner faced the challenging task of finding a suitable tenant for the attractive spaces on the ground and first floors. The successful search was significantly aided by initial collaboration with our studio and the preparation of a so-called "Feasibility Study." The study included, among other things, an estimate of investment costs related to various approaches to the technical enhancement of the building and the development of several operational variants for the building (shops, restaurants, bank branches) for the purpose of finding a suitable tenant.

The ASGK Design studio participated in the renovation of this significant heritage-protected building as the author of the operational concept and general designer. An integral part of the project was a building-historical survey and the proposal of restoration works, in which our studio has many years of experience.

The ground floor to the third floor currently serves as a branch of a bank (Raiffeisen Bank). Office spaces are located on the 4th to 7th floors. The renovation included the modernization of the boiler room and cooling machinery in the basement and on the roof of the building, as well as modernization of the electrical installation (lighting, controlled access system, security and fire systems, data networks).