In the competition for the design of four blocks of houses in Florenc, 157 studios applied

photo: IPR

Prague - A total of 157 studios from 33 countries applied for the architectural competitions regarding the design of four blocks of houses in Florenc, organized by the development company Penta in collaboration with the capital city. The joint jury in each of the competitions selected eight teams that will advance to the second round. This was announced today by spokespeople for Penta, the city’s Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), and Prague 1. Three so-called competitive workshops will follow, and the winners should be announced this autumn.

The competitions concern Penta's land to the west of the bus station, intersected by a major road, bordered by a railway line to the south and Na Florenci street to the west. In the past, Penta, together with the capital city, organized a competition for the overall urban solution of the entire area, including the delineation of streets, blocks, and building heights.

This led to the announcement at the end of last year of parallel architectural competitions for the four planned blocks of houses. According to the investor, the developments are mostly intended for residential purposes, with shops, offices, and, according to previous information, also a hotel to be established there. "The new district will connect the narrowest city center, which is bustling with business and tourism, with neighborhoods like Karlín, where it is pleasant to live and work," stated David Musil, head of Penta Real Estate. The investor's approach was also appreciated by representatives of the city hall, Prague 1, and Prague 8.

In each of the four competitions, a professional jury led by German architect Stefan Behnisch selected eight teams that will participate in three workshops with the jury and representatives of the city and other stakeholders, based on which they will further develop their proposals into a more concrete form. In total, this involves 25 studios, some of which have succeeded in more than one of the competitions. At the end of the final workshop, the jury will select the winner in each of the competitions. According to the schedule, this is planned for early October of this year.

In addition to Behnisch, the jury included Italian Maria Alessandra Segantini, Dutchman Kees Christiaanse, Lithuanian Gilma Teodora Gylyte, and the laureate of the Czech Architecture Award, Štěpán Valouch. Penta, the capital city, municipal districts, and IPR each have their representatives in the jury.

In addition to the plots involved in the current competitions, Penta also purchased the company ČSAD Praha Holding at the end of 2023, which owns the Florenc bus station and adjacent plots. The future of these is still being resolved by the company; its spokesperson Martin Lánský told ČTK today that according to current plans, the bus station will be preserved.

The planned buildings around Florence follow Penta's project at Masaryk Station, where it built two large office buildings, a move criticized by some civic associations and the current opposition in Prague 1. Penta, together with Czech Railways, is also a co-owner of the company CR-City, which plans to cover the platform and build houses at the main station.