In the competition for the design of Prague's main train station, five teams advanced

Prague - The expert commission selected five finalists from 26 teams who will prepare competitive concepts for the new layout around the new hall of Prague's main train station. Marek Vácha, spokesperson for the city's Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), informed ČTK about this. The jury will select three teams from the five advancing ones in December, who will continue to prepare the proposals. The competition was announced by Prague and the Railway Administration (SŽ), and the resulting design is expected to include the construction of a tram line, modifications to Vrchlický Gardens, and the reconstruction of a new departure hall.

In the first round, the teams submitted their portfolios and methodology for preparing the proposal. "It is not entirely usual to evaluate such a multidisciplinary assignment in one competition and seek teams that will create functional urban space, redefine an important yet problematic park, incorporate new transport solutions, and encompass it all with an urban approach respecting context, continuity, and community," stated the chairman of the expert commission, architect Jaroslav Wertig.

Advancing to the next round of the competition are the Dutch studio West 8, the Danish studio Henning Larsen Architects, a consortium of the Czech studio Chybik+Kristof Architects and the American studio Civitas, further a consortium of the Czech studio re:architekti, the Italian studio baukuh studio associato, and the Italian studio Yellow Office, and a consortium of the Spanish studio Miralles Tagliabue EMBT S.L.P. and the Czech branch of the Spanish architectural studio OCA Arquitectos.

The competition takes the form of a so-called competitive dialogue, during which experts and representatives of the city council, the transit authority, SŽ, and other interested parties will get involved in the preparation of the proposals. The results are expected to be announced around the middle of next year, and modifications could begin, according to previous information, in 2025 or 2026.

The proposal will include the solution for a tram line that will lead from Vinohradská Street around the train station connecting to the current tracks on Bolzanova Street. Another major project is the area of Vrchlický Gardens itself, including adjacent public spaces. The last major part of the competition assignment is the reconstruction of the new departure hall of the station, from whose roof the current parking lot is supposed to be moved underground. In the case of the first two mentioned projects, the main investor will be the capital city, while the reconstruction of the hall will be managed by SŽ.