The congress center is preparing a competition for the completion of its building

Prague - The Congress Center Prague (KCP) is preparing an international architectural competition for the completion of its building in Prague's Vyšehrad. The competition aims to find ideas for expanding the building with exhibition spaces and also for the urban solution of the surrounding area. It plans to award a total of three million crowns to the winners. According to the website of the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA), the competition is expected to be announced in a week, with deadlines for the first and second rounds in March and June of next year.

The Congress Center Prague, an architectural relic of socialism and the largest congress center in the Czech Republic, has a new director, Roman Ray Straub, since October. He is expected to be a jury member along with KCP's Chairman Radim Haluza and Mayor Adriana Krnáčová. Independent jurors will include ČKA Chairman Ivan Kroupa, architect and former director of the Institute of Planning and Development Petr Hlaváček, Greek architect Elia Zenghelis, and one yet-to-be-named foreign member.

The competition will focus on the architectural design for the expansion of KCP with exhibition spaces and an urban solution for the area around Pankrácké náměstí and the adjacent part of the main road, as stated on the website. The proposal should include a new form of public space and new buildings in the project area.

Straub replaced Petr Veselý, who had been managing KCP since last year alongside the Holiday Inn hotel, which is part of the congress center. Upon taking office, he stated that he wants to place KCP among the top five European congress centers by 2020.

Two years ago, KCP incurred a loss of 69.4 million crowns, and in 2013, the loss was about 234 million crowns. Last year, KCP emerged from the loss and reported a profit of approximately 84.9 million crowns before tax. KCP includes, alongside the Holiday Inn hotel, the Vyšehrad Business Center. The capacity of the center's spaces allows for congresses of up to 9,300 participants in more than 50 halls, lounges, and meeting rooms. The largest hall is the Congress Hall with a maximum capacity of 2,764 seats. The majority owner of KCP is the state, with the minority share held by Prague at 45.65 percent.

The Congress Center Prague, originally the Palace of Culture, was built over five years starting in 1976, among other purposes for congresses of the then-ruling Communist Party. It ranks among the least favorite buildings in Prague, but according to experts, the acoustics of the Congress Hall are considered among the best in the world. Besides concerts and commercial use of the building, it also hosted the International Monetary Fund meeting in 2000 and the NATO meeting in 2002.