Owners of luxury apartments in Holešovice can return home

Prague - Evacuated residents from apartments in the luxury complex Prague Marina in Prague's Holešovice district can return to their homes tonight. František Polák, spokesperson for the construction company Metrostav, told ČTK. The builders secured the house with metal supports, and according to experts, it is stable. Firefighters evacuated about thirty people on Sunday due to the disrupted stability of the building. The exact causes of the problems are not yet known.
     "Based on the findings of the structural engineer, the building is capable of fulfilling its function without restrictions. The load-bearing structures are safe, and the apartment building can be used properly," said the spokesman. This information was also confirmed to ČTK by the structural engineer Václav Kučera.
     In part of the apartment building, several columns of the structure were deformed on Sunday. According to initial information, one of the causes could have been thermal shock. The building is made of concrete and steel, with metal reacting differently to temperature changes than concrete, said Polák. "Potential further causes could include deficiencies in the project, deficiencies in the construction of the steel columns, or it could be a hidden defect in the material," stated the structural engineer.
     Metrostav installed a network of iron braces in the basement and first floor to support the building. However, this is a temporary solution. Only based on the results of the expert assessment will the next steps be determined. The replacement of defective structural elements will take place during full operation. According to Metrostav, residents will not have to leave their homes anymore.
     The Prague Marina project includes 338 apartments built on the waterfront near the Holešovice harbor, most of which have already been sold. An approximately ninety-meter apartment is sold for five million crowns, but there are also apartments of 200 square meters, which cost more than 15 million crowns.
     According to one of the owners, Marcela Vilímková, apartment owners will have a committee meeting on Thursday to discuss a common procedure "to protect their interests." The investor refused to respond to inquiries from ČTK.
     The developer Prague Marina a.s is part of the Lighthouse Group, which is the investor of several ambitious projects. According to its website, it is responsible for the construction of the Lighthouse administrative building near Prague Marina in Prague's Holešovice, and is also preparing an extensive residential project Zelené Město in Prague's Jarov. Shareholders include the German Deutsche Bank and developers Global Trade Centre and Scorpio Real Estate.
     The police are investigating the case for suspicion of committing a crime of general danger due to negligence. "We are now waiting for the results of the expert assessments," said police spokesman Jan Daněk. According to him, the preparation of expertise could take several months.