Heatherwick's Savarin project is set to be completed by 2022

Prague – The future appearance of historical buildings in the center of Prague, associated with the Savarin Palace and forming a complex near Wenceslas Square between the streets of Na Příkopě, Jindřišská, and Panská, was presented by British architect Thomas Heatherwick. "The estimated investment is ten billion crowns," said Ondřej Micka, a representative of the investor, Crestyl, to ČTK. The investor aims to start the reconstruction of the Savarin Palace by the end of this year, to be completed in 2021. The entire project is expected to be finished by the end of 2022.

The Savarin Palace, also known as Sylva-Taroucca or Piccolomini, is a late Baroque palace building. Its current form dates back to the second half of the 18th century and consists of a large inner block with two courtyards, which was once connected to a garden and a riding hall. The Baroque alterations were likely done by Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer, whose son-in-law Anselmo Lurago completed the construction after his death. In the 20th century, it underwent reconstruction, and in 1927, a famous café named Savarin was established on the site of the former Baroque garden, named after the lawyer and gourmet Brillat-Savarin.


The reconstruction, planned for ten years and previously opposed by heritage conservationists, now has a new investor who purchased it from the Dutch company Ballymore. Crestyl promises less drastic changes to the historic buildings and more public space. According to today's presentation, the Baroque riding hall, which Heatherwick described as the heart of the entire project and will be the only non-commercial facility, will undergo significant changes. Several lower levels will be created beneath it to direct people into the structure starting from the metro station.

Andrea Holasová, spokesperson for the Prague branch of the National Heritage Institute, told ČTK today that an administrative procedure is taking place regarding the documentation. "The project documentation is being discussed and approved, and the action is being prepared quite sensitively to this extraordinary palace structure. Currently, negotiations about the details and the complex parts of the construction are ongoing," said the spokesperson.

According to her, the new construction within the inner block is more complicated. There is a positive opinion from the municipal heritage conservationists from 2017 on an older version of the construction study; the NPÚ has excluded this study. A request for a binding opinion on the amended study according to a new proposal has been submitted, which, however, according to the spokesperson, basically maintains the original project's basic parameters in terms of height and volume. On September 9, the NPÚ sent a statement to the municipality regarding the amended study, but it declined to disclose its contents, referring to the ongoing administrative procedure.

The former riding hall is to provide space for social and cultural events. The block facing Panská Street will have a market and restaurants; the block facing Jindřišská will feature restaurants and green areas, while the buildings towards Wenceslas Square will be commercial. "There are no apartments in any of the existing buildings included in the project, so there is no historical reason to build them there," stated Micka. This had previously displeased some representatives of Prague 1.

The new investor invited Heatherwick to the project, who has extensive experience in the reconstruction of historical buildings as well as revitalizing industrial structures. Savarin consists of four mutually connected parts occupying 1.6 hectares. According to the investor, new passages will allow easy and free passage through previously inaccessible areas of the city's center, and the garden and small square will bring life to the inner block, while publicly accessible rooftop gardens and terraces will offer views of the Prague skyline. More than a third of the area is to consist of open outdoor spaces and public passages.

"We do not want to copy the details that existed in the historical buildings; we want to be inspired by them," Heatherwick said regarding the plans. He emphasized that the aim of the studio is to create an ecosystem out of the structures. "The café will be where you wouldn't expect it, just like the office. We will create something that is flexible, sustainable, and will change over time, so people feel comfortable," he explained. He wants to attract people to the complex from the metro through newly built underground spaces. What is essential for him is that he does not want to build closed spaces with air conditioning, but open areas.