In the Rozdělov towers, there will eventually be euro windows

Kladno - Kladno will apply for support from the Green Savings program for the replacement of windows in six suburban high-rise buildings. The original windows are no longer sealed, and cold air flows into the apartments, mostly inhabited by seniors. If the city obtains the grant, it would manage to replace the windows in these heritage-protected buildings within a year. Otherwise, it would have to divide the investment over three years, said Kladno mayor Dan Jiránek (ODS) to ČTK.
    The Green Savings program provides subsidies focused on insulating homes, constructing so-called passive houses, and installing renewable energy sources for heating. The city will take advantage of the fact that the program is now more accessible to applicants. Subsidies are now also provided for a single insulation measure, whereas previously the program required at least three partial measures or comprehensive insulation, or two if accompanied by a replacement of the heat source.
    "We hesitated whether to go for it at all," Jiránek stated. According to him, the city had even prepared an absurd measure to insulate the ceilings and basements along with the window replacements to meet the original program requirements. "But anyone who has seen the high-rise knows that it is so narrow and tall that insulating the basement and the roof does not actually mean any saving. The only saving that makes sense is the window replacement, or possibly the insulation of the façade. But that façade is protected as a monument," the mayor added.
    Initially, the city wanted to install plastic windows in the tower blocks because they require no further maintenance. However, heritage protectors rejected this and demanded exact replicas of the original wooden windows. But according to Jiránek, this would be too expensive. In the end, the city managed to at least push through the installation of wooden euro windows. While plastic windows would have cost 38 million crowns, euro windows would amount to 60 million. According to Jiránek, this is the upper limit that the city is still able to pay from the rental income.
    The tower blocks were built between 1954 and 1957 according to the designs of architects Josef Havlíček, Karel Filsak, and Karel Bubeníček. The thirteen-story buildings, shaped like the letter T, have richly articulated facades made of colored ceramic materials, and on both sides of each entrance, ceramic house signs depicting various animals. The authors of this decoration are Marta Jirásková, Hana Wichterlová, Břetislav Benda, and Bedřich Stefan.