The competition for the school extension in Lipence was won by the architectural studio VLLNNA

Prague – The competition for the design of a new pavilion for the primary school in the Prague district of Lipence was won with its design by the architectural studio VLLNNA. This was stated by the city council of the municipality, which announced the competition last year on its website. The extension will include, among other things, a new school kitchen with a dining room and classrooms for students. The estimated costs for the construction of the pavilion were set at 75 million crowns excluding VAT according to the competition brief.

The school extension, located on land between the streets K Topolům and Obilní, should replace the pavilion from 2000. According to the mayor of the Prague – Lipence district, Lenka Kadlecová (Association for Lipence), it is currently unsuitable. In the new three-story building, which is to be developed according to the design by the VLLNNA studio, there will be more classrooms for students compared to the existing pavilion, a staff room for teachers, and the capacity of the school kitchen and dining room will be increased.

The competition brief was approved by the municipality's council in October 2021, and the competition was subsequently announced through the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA). Architectural studios submitted 17 portfolios to the competition, and five studios then presented their competition designs. The jury, which included architects Tomáš Císař, Pavla Feistnerová, and Jitka Hofmeisterová, as well as the mayor of Lipence, Kadlecová, selected the winner of the competition. The first place went to the design by the VLLNNA studio, second to the design by SOA architects, and third place went to the Hejdová Duba architects studio.

The current primary school in Lipence consists of a building from 1868 and three attached pavilions. Originally, the school was built as a small school with two classrooms and two apartments for teachers. Through successive extensions and new levels, it has become a school with nine grades. The last extension was made in 2019 when a four-story pavilion was added, increasing the number of students to approximately 400. Previously, the school's capacity was 220 students.

The lack of places in schools and kindergartens is a problem in the metropolis, particularly affecting peripheral city districts. A new school costing 650 million crowns will be built in Březiněves, while a primary school for 477 million crowns is expected to be established in Šeberov.

Lipence is a cadastral area in the south of Prague and a city district where about 3,000 residents have permanent residence. According to a demographic study from 2021 commissioned by the municipality, the number of inhabitants in the district could double by 2036. This year, Lipence operates with a budget of approximately 24.85 million crowns in revenues and 33.5 million crowns in expenditures. The budget deficit was approved by the municipality's representatives in February.