Open letter regarding the intended reconstruction of the Albatros house in Prague
Prague Property Management, Ltd.
Company Management
Seifertova 9, 130 00 Prague 3
PhDr. Michael Zachař
Director of the National Heritage Institute,
regional office in the capital city of Prague
Na Perštýně 12, 110 00 Prague 1
Mgr. Jan Kněžínek
Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage and Tourism
of the City Hall of Prague
Jungmannova 29/35, 110 00 Prague 1
Subject: Open Letter
Regarding the proposed reconstruction of the Albatros office building
at the corner of National and Na Perštýně Streets
Dear Sir/Madam,
The Club for Old Prague is addressing you, concerned about the intention to extend the aforementioned building, which is an excellent example of Czech architecture from the 1960s, created by architects Stanislav France and Luděk Hanfa from 1966-1969. Although the object was visually altered a few years ago by replacing the glass facade, it has not lost its original value so much that it could now be arbitrarily distorted by a purpose-built extension to increase the commercial capacity of the building.
The extension, now being designed by the architectural studio DAM led by architect Petr Malínský, expands the Albatros building toward Na Perštýně Street and connects it to the U Medvídků building with a new volumetric "filling" of the empty space, which until now intentionally and primarily effectively separated the two stylistically different neighboring buildings in terms of mass and shapes. The cube of the Albatros had, therefore, a glass facade on three sides and created the impression of a solitary object. This composition of mass was not only an example of thoughtful integration into the historical development of both streets, which is very diverse in this area, but is also an undeniable part of the intrinsic value of the object.
We call on the investor, Prague Property Management, Ltd.:
desist from this barbaric distortion of a valuable building, do not tarnish the name of your company with such a thoughtless intrusion into the history of Czech modern architecture.
We urge heritage authorities at all levels and the members of their advisory boards:
do not approve this intention, do not succumb to pressure for purposefulness and apparent practicality, reject any compromise solution, because every extension that adds new mass to the current Albatros building will irreversibly damage the value of this structure.
We call on both professionals and the general public:
let us not be indifferent to this and other similar attempts to commercially densify the city’s construction at the expense of its aesthetic qualities.
Company Management
Seifertova 9, 130 00 Prague 3
PhDr. Michael Zachař
Director of the National Heritage Institute,
regional office in the capital city of Prague
Na Perštýně 12, 110 00 Prague 1
Mgr. Jan Kněžínek
Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage and Tourism
of the City Hall of Prague
Jungmannova 29/35, 110 00 Prague 1
Subject: Open Letter
Regarding the proposed reconstruction of the Albatros office building
at the corner of National and Na Perštýně Streets
Dear Sir/Madam,
The Club for Old Prague is addressing you, concerned about the intention to extend the aforementioned building, which is an excellent example of Czech architecture from the 1960s, created by architects Stanislav France and Luděk Hanfa from 1966-1969. Although the object was visually altered a few years ago by replacing the glass facade, it has not lost its original value so much that it could now be arbitrarily distorted by a purpose-built extension to increase the commercial capacity of the building.
The extension, now being designed by the architectural studio DAM led by architect Petr Malínský, expands the Albatros building toward Na Perštýně Street and connects it to the U Medvídků building with a new volumetric "filling" of the empty space, which until now intentionally and primarily effectively separated the two stylistically different neighboring buildings in terms of mass and shapes. The cube of the Albatros had, therefore, a glass facade on three sides and created the impression of a solitary object. This composition of mass was not only an example of thoughtful integration into the historical development of both streets, which is very diverse in this area, but is also an undeniable part of the intrinsic value of the object.
We call on the investor, Prague Property Management, Ltd.:
desist from this barbaric distortion of a valuable building, do not tarnish the name of your company with such a thoughtless intrusion into the history of Czech modern architecture.
We urge heritage authorities at all levels and the members of their advisory boards:
do not approve this intention, do not succumb to pressure for purposefulness and apparent practicality, reject any compromise solution, because every extension that adds new mass to the current Albatros building will irreversibly damage the value of this structure.
We call on both professionals and the general public:
let us not be indifferent to this and other similar attempts to commercially densify the city’s construction at the expense of its aesthetic qualities.
| PhDr. Richard Biegel, PhD., signed. | PhDr. Kateřina Bečková, signed. |
| Managing Director of the Club for Old Prague | Chairwoman of the Club for Old Prague |
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