At the site of the former Transgas in Prague, construction could begin in the summer of 2025

Prague - Next summer, the planned building on the site of the demolished brutalist structure Transgas in Prague's Vinohrady could receive a building permit. The developers are expected to obtain the zoning permit by the end of this year. The investment in construction and renovation of the nearby area is estimated to be approximately two billion crowns. Martin Lánský, spokesperson for the development company Penta Real Estate, informed ČTK about this. Penta is collaborating on the project with PSN, and ideally, according to Lánský, the building could be completed by mid-2027. The Transgas building was demolished in 2020, and its architect was Václav Aulický, who will celebrate his eightieth birthday this March.

According to Lánský, the construction site has been prepared and the relocation of utilities has been addressed over the past six months. The developer will also preliminarily consult the construction with the local municipality and authorities. "However, since July, a new building law has been in effect, which could be a wild card that disrupts all timelines," added Lánský.

The architectural competition for the construction was won by a proposal from Jakub Cigler Architekti. The building will include both apartments and office and retail spaces. Similar to the demolished Aulický building, there should again be a semi-enclosed block on the site, which will be passable. A smaller open space will be created in the middle. Jakub Cigler's studio has previously collaborated with Penta on projects such as Aviatica in Prague's Jinonice. They are also behind the construction of the Quadrio department store on Národní Street or the current plans for the reconstruction of the main train station.

The demolished Transgas building was named after the gas pipeline of the same name. The complex of three buildings, constructed between 1972 and 1978 in the brutalist style, served as the Central Control Center for the gas pipeline as well as the federal Ministry of Fuel and Energy. It also combined other architectural styles, such as early postmodernism and so-called high-tech. The main part of the central dispatch center was created in 1974, and the two office tower buildings were completed in 1978.

Václav Aulický was born on March 1, 1944. His most famous work is the television tower in Prague's Žižkov. His other projects include the completion of high-rise buildings in the Pankrác Plain in Prague and the telephone exchange building in Prague-Dejvice. A representative of high-tech architecture, he graduated from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague. Transgas was his first significant project he co-partnered in.

In January 2019, the building authority granted permission for the demolition of the Transgas building. No one appealed against the demolition permit, so it came into effect on February 1, 2019. Since the fall of 2018, the leadership of Prague has unsuccessfully tried to purchase the building from its owner at the last minute.