The former Ministry of Fuels wants the investor to begin demolition this year

Prague - The building of the former federal ministry of fuel on Vinohradská Street in Prague is set to be demolished by the investor this year. In its place, an up to eight-story office building is expected to arise next to Czech Radio. This follows from a notification in the environmental impact assessment system EIA. The building from the 1970s is proposed for inclusion in the list of cultural monuments.

The demolition is scheduled to begin in August this year, provided that the investor, Phibell, obtains all necessary permits. Two houses and the land between Vinohradská, Římská, and Rubešova streets were acquired by the developer last year from the company ČEZ. Phibell is a subsidiary of the development group HB Reavis, owned by Slovak billionaire Ivan Chrenko. After the EIA assessment, the company may apply for zoning approval and a building permit. The investor's statement is being sought by ČTK.

The buildings of the former transit gas pipeline and the federal ministry of fuel, constructed in the brutalist style, have been classified by architecture curator Radomíra Sedláková at the National Gallery as architecturally significant objects in Prague from 1850 to 2000. Brutalism as a style used in the 1960s to 1980s is often colloquially associated with the then-ruling regime in the Czech Republic, but similar structures were also built in the West. A proposal to declare the buildings as cultural monuments is currently with the Ministry of Culture. However, until the office initiates the proceedings, it does not pose any restrictions for the investor.

The former central dispatch of the transit gas pipeline and two office buildings on Vinohradská Street were constructed between 1970 and 1978, authored by Václav Aulický, Jiří Eisenreich, Ivo Loos, and Jindřich Malátek. Aulický is primarily known for his technical buildings, including the Žižkov Television Tower. In a statement for the investor, Aulický expressed regret that the building would be demolished but considers the new plan to be successful.

According to the notification, the buildings are not in good technical condition. "The existing development does not respect the historical naturalness of the location and street line and does not form a functional block in an otherwise attractive part of the city," the document states. The properties are currently leased by the General Health Insurance Company, which has a client center on the ground floor.

The investor plans to complete the construction in 2018. The new facility, the Administrative Center Vinohradská, with six to eight floors, is intended to connect Vinohradská and Římská streets. In addition to offices, there are plans for shops or restaurants on the ground floor and a publicly accessible courtyard with greenery. The basement is expected to have 220 parking spaces, storage areas, and technical facilities.

The construction will be a reinforced concrete monolith. "The facades are designed with stone cladding, and glass details and cladding will connect to the artistic-craft tradition of Vinohrad palaces," the announcement further states. The roofs are intended to be partially accessible, and their use for greenery is also proposed. The project was created by the firm Jakub Cigler Architekti.

The international development group HB Reavis, originally from Slovakia, is headquartered in Luxembourg and operates in Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, and Turkey. The group was founded in 1993. In close proximity to the planned project towards the magistrale, the Panorama Business Center was completed in 2000. It has 6,800 m² of leasable space and 91 parking spots in underground garages. It comprises eight above-ground and three underground floors.