Praha 8 approved the proposal for a new school in Karlín, which will cost 970 million CZK

Prague – Prague 8 has the final architectural study for the primary school that the city hall plans to build on Rohanský Island in Karlín. Today, it was unanimously approved by the representatives of the city district. The architects will now begin preparing documentation for land and building permits. Construction is expected to start in 2027 and be completed in 2029. The estimated cost is 969.7 million crowns excluding VAT, and the city hall will utilize contributions from developers and funds from the capital city.

The design was presented today at the representatives' meeting by architect Igor Šimon from the Igloo Architekti studio, which created the study and placed second in the original architectural competition. The winning studio was AXXI, but the city district's leadership was unable to agree with them due to the required price for the project. The city hall set a budget limit for the estimated construction costs at 970 million crowns excluding tax, which the architects managed to adhere to.

The four-story school with 27 classrooms will have a square floor plan and will include, among other things, two larger and one smaller gym, a library with a study room, creative studios, an auditorium, and a school cafeteria. Next to the building, there will be a school park with greenery, resting elements, and an atrium. In front of the main entrance, which will be oriented towards the planned Maniny park, there will be a piazzetta.

According to the information provided today, the price of the proposal was successfully reduced from approximately 1.2 billion to the target of around 970 million crowns. "We went through this relatively in detail and tried to find solutions so that the school remained in a reasonable price-performance ratio," said Deputy Mayor Radomír Nepil (ANO). He added that the city hall, however, anticipates an increase in costs due to rising construction prices.

Šimon stated that there will be a pedestrian zone around the school with access allowed only for deliveries or vehicles from the integrated rescue system. Opposition representative Vladislava Vojtíčková (independent for 8žije and Prague Sobě) commented that, in her opinion, bollards restricting access should be installed on-site because drivers often ignore signs. "As soon as delivery is designated, everyone who carries something there feels it is a delivery," added Václav Stránský (8žije). Nepil mentioned that addressing the installation of bollards is still premature, but the surrounding area of the building will be designed to accommodate them.

The area of Rohanský Island on the right bank of the Vltava River, next to Karlín and Libeň, was a watercourse until the first half of the last century, which was later filled in. The development firms Sekyra Group and J&T Real Estate are building a new district there with thousands of apartments. In addition to private investments, a public park Maniny will also be created there.