The diplomacy commissions a project for the embassy in the USA

Prague - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to award a public contract for the construction of a completely new Czech embassy building in the USA. This partial contract, which is set to cost 144.3 million crowns excluding VAT, includes architectural services covering all phases of project documentation including author supervision service, according to information from ČTK. The awarded services will be carried out by the already selected winner of the architectural competition.
Overall, the construction of the new mission is expected to cost half a billion, a plan the government approved some time ago. This was based on a proposal from the diplomatic service, which also has an architectural design. It emerged from an international competition in 2010, in which the project of the architectural studio Chalupa architekti was selected.
The current building, which was built in 1969, has inadequate installations, according to diplomats, and has other deficiencies as well. Repairing the building would be too costly, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as it has never been comprehensively reconstructed. Therefore, a new construction pays off, claims Czech diplomacy, among other things in response to criticism of the project’s cost.
     The government document currently presented, which relates to the aforementioned contract, includes the second stage of the design and study of the building. This includes, for example, the construction project, interior design project, visual style, cooperation with local companies, presentation, and other costs.
     The mission's solution has a floor plan in the shape of the letter ypsilon. In the "foot" of the letter, there are to be representative spaces, while the arms will house administrative offices. The building will utilize the undulating terrain: while the representative part will be one-story, the office part will be four stories. "The start of construction is currently planned for 2014 according to the current timeline. Due to austerity measures in the state budget, it is not possible at this time to estimate whether this timeline will be met," the ministry stated some time ago.
The ministry estimates that the total costs of the project will reach 579 million crowns. The ministry intends to obtain funds from the sale of its real estate in the Czech Republic and abroad. In 2011 and 2012, the revenues from sales are expected to amount to approximately 520 million crowns. In the following years, it anticipates sales generating 500 million crowns.
Czech diplomacy states that the United States is one of the Czech Republic's strategic foreign-policy and trade partners. According to the diplomatic service, the Czech Republic has an "eminent" interest in further cooperation, which according to the Czernin Palace cannot do without the presence of a quality diplomatic team equipped with appropriate technical and security support.