The completion and reconstruction of Nová Palmovka will amount to 2.9 billion CZK

Prague - The building Nová Palmovka in Prague 8 will be completed and transformed into the headquarters of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) by Geosan Group. The construction and project work in Prague will cost approximately 2.9 billion crowns. This is indicated by a document approved today by Prague councilors. The completion will be carried out in the form of a so-called design&build, where the contractor will create the project and also carry out the construction. The city will now wait to see if any participants in the tender will appeal against the decision within the statutory period, only then can a contract be signed with the company. According to earlier information, EUSPA is set to move to its new headquarters in the building, which has been under construction for years, in 2026 from its current location in Holešovice.

Construction of the building at Palmovka began in 2014 by Prague 8, which was intended to feature a new city hall complemented by a shopping center. Work was paused a year later due to various disputes. After lengthy negotiations, the building was taken over from the city council in 2021 by the city hall, which considered placing the emergency service headquarters there. Ultimately, an agreement was reached with the state and EUSPA, which has outgrown its capacity at the current location in Holešovice.

The shell of the building needs not only to be completed but also to modify the internal layout to meet the needs of the space agency. Therefore, the city chose the design&build system. According to the approved document, it is possible to start with the completion, but a so-called out-fit must be done for the transformation of the interiors, meaning a project for transforming the internal arrangement must be developed. For this, a project will need to be created, and the authorities will need to be asked for the necessary permits.

"Currently, it is not possible to ascertain precisely what the out-fit should include, or the scope in which it should be executed," the document states. At present, there is a starting basis in the form of a spatial arrangement study, but it needs to be further developed and specific parameters of the transformation defined. According to the document, the winner of the tender should begin the completion while also preparing for the transformation of the interior.

EUSPA moved to Prague from Brussels on September 6, 2012, still under the name European Global Navigation Satellite System Agency (GSA). It includes, among other things, the management of EU space programme operations, including existing satellite and navigation projects such as Galileo, EGNOS, or Copernicus.