The Faculty of Philosophy will repair and expand its buildings on Opletalova Street

Prague - The Faculty of Arts of Charles University will announce an architectural competition for the reconstruction of two buildings on Opletalova Street. Most of the estimated costs of 240 million crowns excluding VAT will come from state funds. CTK was informed about this by Markéta Pražanová, co-organizer of the competition. Its aim is to find the best solution for the reconstruction, expansion, and connection of the buildings, which should primarily serve research purposes.

The competition conditions for the two-round architectural competition have already been approved by the Czech Chamber of Architects. The competition is expected to be announced after the conditions are approved by the Ministry of Education in mid-April. Competitors must submit their designs by May 30 at the latest.

The Faculty of Arts at Charles University has long been struggling with a lack of space for teaching and research. The university purchased historical buildings on Opletalova Street in 2010, which, although originally built as residential, have mostly served as offices. Connecting and extending them would create about 3,500 square meters of usable space.

"We especially emphasize spatial variability and operational flexibility of the reconstructed buildings, which would allow us to consider the constantly evolving needs of the school in the future," said the dean of the Faculty of Arts at Charles University, Mirjam Friedová. The facility will include a research library with a depository, conference rooms, offices, communal spaces, and a dining room.

"For architects, it is a challenging but very attractive task. The buildings have irregular layouts, a distinctive character, and one of them is a cultural monument. The reconstruction and expansion offer unlimited possibilities. However, it is essential to carefully consider the appropriateness of the solutions to ensure that the overall architectural quality of the future faculty is not compromised," added the chairman of the competition jury, architect Jan Šépka. The jury will also include Aleš Burian, Jiří Opočenský, Zdeňka Vydrová, Tomáš Bezpalec, and historian Richard Biegel, with representatives from the Faculty of Arts at Charles University as additional members.

A maximum of eight proposals will proceed to the second round of the competition. The most suitable solutions among them will be chosen in early August, which will receive awards. A total of 1.67 million crowns is allocated for prizes. According to the Public Procurement Act, the design competition will be followed by a negotiation procedure without publication, from which the winning contractor will emerge.