New buildings at Barrandov Terraces will open this autumn

photo: First Podještědská Construction Ltd.

Prague – Two new buildings built on Barrandov Terraces will open this fall. They will include 61 apartments intended for rent. At the same time, the reconstruction of the historic building of Max Urban is ongoing. The exterior is also expected to be finished this fall, while the interior repairs will continue for another 12 to 18 months. Representatives of the construction company and architects informed journalists about this during a tour of the premises today. The investor did not disclose the total cost of the construction and reconstruction.

According to earlier estimates by Jaromír Hrdlička, a former associate of the investor and owner of Barrandov Terraces Michalis Dzikos, the construction with reconstruction was supposed to cost between 200 and 500 million crowns in 2016.

“Our aim was to connect with the architectural, social, and aesthetic quality of the place. A key issue was the mass continuity of the new buildings with the original restaurant building designed by architect Urban, which is at the core of the complex and whose lookout tower forms its dominant feature. In our architectural proposal, we responded to this fact by creating two buildings that are intentionally designed in different shapes, as a trapezoid and a wave, both structures, however, respect the level of the cornice of the existing restaurant building,” explained Ladislav Kuba, one of the two architects who developed the project for the two new buildings.

On the southern side of the complex above the outdoor terraces, there is an S-shaped two-story building with apartments, which imitates the shape and height of the original edge of the outdoor terraces. It will contain 16 apartments with layouts of 2+kk, 4+kk, and 6+kk. The dark silver modern building in the shape of a trapezoid in the northern part will similarly serve for accommodation, like the S-shaped building. In total, it will have 45 apartments with layouts ranging from 1+kk to 4+kk.

Along with the construction of the new buildings, work began in 2018 on saving the original architect Max Urban's building. Currently, the reconstruction of the exterior is nearly completed. "The main work took place on the facades of the historic building, where new plastering was done. Before the final layer of the facade was established, a number of steps were taken in search of the most suitable material that would correspond to the original appearance of the building and yet be feasible in today's times,” said Ondřej Kukral, the architect responsible for the reconstruction of historic buildings. The builders increased it by another floor during the reconstruction; after completion, there should be a restaurant here.

The wavy building also affects the placement of the former bar Trilobit. It was closed in 1982 and burned down to the ground in 2001.

The functionalist building of Barrandov Terraces began operations in 1929 and in the 1930s became a center of Prague's elite. The complex was built by businessman Václav Maria Havel, the father of former President Václav Havel. He was inspired by Cliff House in Maine, USA, which he visited during his travels abroad. The drawings for Barrandov Terraces were created by functionalist architect and former filmmaker Max Urban. The project included a restaurant, a café, a modern swimming pool with a diving tower, and in the nearby area, there were ten tennis courts, a volleyball court, and a sandy beach.

During World War II, the place became an air raid shelter and a meeting place for Nazi leaders and German officers. In 1952, the business was nationalized and primarily served for the recreation of communist officials. Three years after nationalization, the pool had to be closed due to a landslide. In 1988, the entire complex was declared a cultural monument. After the revolution, Barrandov Terraces returned to the Havl family, but the premises continued to deteriorate. Since 2001, it has been owned by businessman Michalis Dzikos, who started new construction and reconstruction of the complex in 2016.