Competition for the completion of the Industrial Palace until September

Prague - The architectural competition for the reconstruction of the burned-down Industrial Palace will be announced by the capital city only around mid-September. CTK was informed about this by councilor Milan Richter (ODS). Prague promised to announce the competition last week, but according to Richter, the city leadership will first have to allocate funds for this purpose. The current city budget did not account for these financial resources. The left wing of the Industrial Palace was completely destroyed by fire last October.
    "The council will also have to express its opinion on how the architectural competition will be announced," Richter stated.
    According to Richter, the competition could be in two rounds. In the first round, a professional jury composed of architects and heritage preservation experts would evaluate anonymous proposals. In this phase, the price would not be considered; the emphasis would primarily be on technical solutions. One selected proposal would be recommended to the city council, which would disclose the author and the price. If the council agreed, a second round would follow, in which specific contract conditions, such as price and construction time, would be negotiated. The final proposal would have to be approved again by the city leadership.
    Prague insists that the new building resembles the original wing as much as possible. At the same time, it will have to comply with current safety standards. Therefore, it will not be possible to use the same materials as those used in the original structure, as they would not meet the standards. The proposal should also address the underpass beneath the Industrial Palace, which the city plans.
    The city has consulted the preparation of the competition with heritage preservation experts. According to their statements, they emphasize that a thorough historical and architectural survey should be conducted before the design work begins. They also demand restoration and structural surveys of the current parts of the building. Like the city, they insist on preserving authenticity.
    According to earlier information from firefighters, the fire was caused by a combination of several factors and was ignited by an electric cooker. Two weeks ago, the firefighters initiated administrative proceedings against the company Incheba, which has the entire area of the Prague Exhibition Grounds leased. According to the firefighters, Incheba did not adequately train its staff in fire prevention before the palace burned down.
    The city tried to conclude an amendment to the contract with Incheba that would ensure the reconstruction of the destroyed wing, but after disputes, the metropolis ultimately decided to prepare the restoration of the monument itself and have project documentation developed.
    The restoration of the Industrial Palace is estimated by the city to cost around 1.5 billion Czech crowns. This amount should include not only the reconstruction of the left wing but also the construction of an underpass beneath the palace.
    Insurance companies, where the Exhibition Grounds are insured for 2.5 billion crowns, have only assessed the damage caused by last year's fire at 181 million crowns. Both Prague and Incheba disagree with this amount, finding it too low. However, since the two parties have not yet agreed on who the insurance belongs to, the insurance companies have placed the money in escrow. If Prague and Incheba cannot agree, a court will have to decide on the recipient of the money. Only then could Prague sue the insurance companies regarding the amount of the insurance.