The heritage protectors agree with the reconstruction of the transformer station, says the owner and the National Heritage Institute

Prague - The reconstruction of the former Zenger transformer station in Prague's Klárov is according to the Ministry of Culture in line with the decisions of heritage officials, and the elements that were removed from the facade will be returned to it after the renovation. Concerns have been expressed by experts from the Research Centre for Industrial Heritage at CTU that the renovation of the heritage site is being carried out insensitively and that the building is being partially demolished. The Ministry of Culture and the National Heritage Institute told ČTK that more significant interventions were necessitated by the use of lower quality cement and contamination of the building with hazardous substances. The building under Letenské sady is expected to host the Kunsthalle Prague in 2021.

In it, the Pudil Family Foundation plans to showcase mainly its collection of 20th and 21st-century art. The original facade of the building will be restored to its original form in subsequent phases of renovation, said the foundation's executive director Ivana Goosen to ČTK. A new feature on the front facade will be an entrance bridge. "The building will gain a welcoming entrance, which it did not have for its technical use in the past, and it will open to the general public for the first time. On the other hand, in the rear part, where the original technological terrace was, a single-story extension for new exhibition space will appear,” she added.

The transformer station was declared a heritage site on the grounds that it is a technical monument that has lost its function, making it problematic to find an adequate use for it. According to experts, it does not rank among the monuments of modern architecture but sensitively encloses the space of Klárov under the Letná massif.

The reconstruction was recommended by the NPÚ, and Prague heritage officials issued their positive opinion at the end of 2017. Andrea Holasová from the NPÚ told ČTK that this is a complete reconstruction, a change in functional use, the construction of access bridges, and replacement of engineering networks. All historically valuable elements, such as infill structures or stone elements like balustrades, were numbered and preserved outside the building, where they will be restored and returned.

Assessments found the bearing structure of the building to be in poor condition, consisting of concrete made from aluminate cements. It is saturated with petroleum substances, which reduces the load-bearing capacity of the concrete-steel structure. Some facades will be replaced with new ones in the original shapes and layouts, and on the most valuable facade, the pillars will be reinforced using steel bracing so that they do not have to be demolished.

The renovation of the transformer station was also addressed by the heritage inspection of the Ministry of Culture. It stated that the work is not fully in line with the interests of heritage protection, but at the same time, the damage to the rights of the owner would be significantly disproportionate to the harm that would be caused to public interest. The Ministry of Culture halted the review proceedings, spokeswoman Simona Cigánková had informed ČTK earlier.

The reason for the decision was also that the owner had previously received permission from the magistrate to convert the building into a hotel, which would entail a much more drastic intervention into the substance of the cultural heritage site. Because this decision was final and there could be no review proceedings conducted on it, there was a legitimate concern that by canceling the new binding opinion, the owner would begin to convert the building into a hotel, which would mean a more destructive intervention in the appearance of the cultural heritage site, the ministry stated. This office also justifies the construction interventions due to proven damage to the structures by mercury, oils, and cement used to construct a large part of the structures.