The architect Zdeněk Kuna has died
At the age of 93, prominent representative of the Czech architectural scene of the 1960s and 1970s and emeritus professor at the Prague College of Art and Design, architect Zdeněk Kuna, died on Friday, July 5, 2019. He is primarily known as the author of the first skyscrapers in Prague – the hundred-meter building of Motokov in Pankrác and the Strojimport building in Vinohrady.
Zdeněk Kuna belonged to the generation that began its architectural activity after World War II (he was born in 1926 in Plzeň). His work encompasses a wide range of urban and architectural projects. Alongside Karel Prager, he was one of the first architects in Czechoslovakia to use glass curtain panels, specifically in the Strojimport building in Prague (1967–71, now the Vinohrady Palace). He implemented Miesian ideas and concepts of modernity that shaped him into this modern administrative center. From 1973 to 1977, the City Empiria building in Pankrác (the former headquarters of PZO Motokov), which was the first tall building in then Czechoslovakia, reaching 104 meters, was realized according to his design. With his collaborators, he also participated in the revitalization of the eastern grandstand of the Strahov Stadium between 1969 and 1972 and the sensitive construction of the Omnipol building from 1974-79 situated in the historical fabric of Prague’s New Town. Other significant works include the largest post-war mountain hotel Horal in Špindlerův Mlýn and the Czechoslovak embassy in Milan.
At the beginning of his career, he worked with Josef Havlíček, Karel Filsak, and Zdeněk Pokorný, who were among the top in the field. Since he was considered "party reliable" from 1969, he took the position of director of the Regional Project Institute in 1974, where he supervised approximately eight hundred designers. He later became the chairman of the Association of Architects. From 1973 to 1989, he led the "Studio of Applied Architecture – Living and Working Environment" at the Prague College of Art and Design. From 1993 to 2008, he was a member of the Czech Chamber of Architects.
The last farewell to Zdeněk Kuna will take place on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 12:00 PM at the New Ceremony Hall in Prague's Olšany.
Zdeněk Kuna belonged to the generation that began its architectural activity after World War II (he was born in 1926 in Plzeň). His work encompasses a wide range of urban and architectural projects. Alongside Karel Prager, he was one of the first architects in Czechoslovakia to use glass curtain panels, specifically in the Strojimport building in Prague (1967–71, now the Vinohrady Palace). He implemented Miesian ideas and concepts of modernity that shaped him into this modern administrative center. From 1973 to 1977, the City Empiria building in Pankrác (the former headquarters of PZO Motokov), which was the first tall building in then Czechoslovakia, reaching 104 meters, was realized according to his design. With his collaborators, he also participated in the revitalization of the eastern grandstand of the Strahov Stadium between 1969 and 1972 and the sensitive construction of the Omnipol building from 1974-79 situated in the historical fabric of Prague’s New Town. Other significant works include the largest post-war mountain hotel Horal in Špindlerův Mlýn and the Czechoslovak embassy in Milan.
At the beginning of his career, he worked with Josef Havlíček, Karel Filsak, and Zdeněk Pokorný, who were among the top in the field. Since he was considered "party reliable" from 1969, he took the position of director of the Regional Project Institute in 1974, where he supervised approximately eight hundred designers. He later became the chairman of the Association of Architects. From 1973 to 1989, he led the "Studio of Applied Architecture – Living and Working Environment" at the Prague College of Art and Design. From 1993 to 2008, he was a member of the Czech Chamber of Architects.
The last farewell to Zdeněk Kuna will take place on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 12:00 PM at the New Ceremony Hall in Prague's Olšany.
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