The competition for the design of the Florenc train station was won by Czech studios and a London atelier

Prague – In the competition for the design of the bus station in Prague's Florenc and its surroundings, the team comprising the Czech architectural studios UNIT architects, A69 architects, and the London studio Marko & Placemakers won. Representatives of the organizers and the competition jury informed journalists today. The city hall will prepare another study for a change in the zoning plan necessary for the development of the area with the winners of the competition, which was commissioned by the landowners in cooperation with the city. The company Penta has already begun construction on the so-called brownfield site between Masaryk Train Station and Florenc.

The competition, announced this spring, concerned the bus station, the neighboring area of former warehouses, and the freight section of Masaryk Train Station to the north of the tracks and east of the main road. Most of the land there is owned by the companies ČSAD Prague Holding and Masaryk Station Development, controlled by Penta. Both companies plan to build in the area, and Penta has already started on the property near Masaryk Station.

The jury selected the winning team today, which has a significant representation of Czech architects. It consists of UNIT architects, A69 architects, Marko & Placemakers, European Transportation Consultancy, Ecoten, and Terra Florida. According to the vice-chairwoman of the jury, architect and deputy mayor of Prague 7 Lenka Burgerová, the jury appreciated the proposal's ability to connect different parts of the city.

"This is really just the first step; it is the basis for a change in the zoning plan and is not architecture yet. It is basically a framework for how the area will further develop. Only the study that will be created in connection with the investors and the city will tell us much more," she stated. She added that the two teams that shared second place also had several stimulating proposals. "For example, they had significantly better solutions for the bus station area," she said.

Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (for TOP 09) confirmed that the competition will be followed by another study that will serve as a basis for changing the zoning plan. Without it, investors cannot build in the area. He added that the city wants to collaborate with the other two teams on planned modifications to the main road and Těšnov. The deputy would like to start addressing minor modifications on the main road for pedestrians during this electoral term, which ends next autumn.

The competition took the form of a so-called competitive workshop, during which teams communicated with the jury, city hall, investors, city districts, and other affected parties while creating their proposals. Representatives of the city hall's leadership, the city's Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), landowners, and the organizing company ONplan participated in the competition. The jury consisted of six experts and five representatives from the capital city, IPR, and investors.

The form of the competition was criticized by the non-profit organization Arnika, which stated that it was not accompanied by sufficient discussion with citizens. While they had the opportunity to express their opinions, according to the organization, they did not have enough time to do so, and no one explained the proposals to them. "It is not possible to expect ordinary citizens to study technical proposals and assess them on their own. Citizens should be heard through moderated discussions, and their opinions should be presented to the competition organizers and jury with the help of participation experts,” stated Anna Vinklárková on behalf of the organization.

Penta has begun construction of office buildings around Masaryk Train Station. This has been criticized by, among others, the opposition in Prague 1, the Czech National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the National Heritage Institute, and the Club for Old Prague. According to earlier statements from the city leadership, the city and Penta agreed that in the second part of the project related to the aforementioned competition, at least 40 percent of the apartments will be allocated.