Changes in EU regulations on technology will increase costs for the new theater in Plzeň

Plzeň - Changes in European standards for theater technology operations will increase the cost of constructing a new theater in Plzeň by 40 million crowns. For example, hydraulic stage lifts must now meet the condition of a maximum of one safety function failure in a thousand years. The theater, which will open its first season on September 1, 2014, will thus come to just under 860 million crowns excluding VAT, which is still a lower price than the city hall estimated before the contractor competition. All the changes that affect the final construction price arose only after its commencement, said today ČTK Deputy Mayor Petr Rund (ODS). According to him, construction has now entered the second half.
According to current legislation, the city had to accept part of the contractor's claims for significant changes in the proposed theater technology, which will account for about a quarter of the costs, construction about 35 percent, with the remaining going to parking lots, landscaping, and utilities. Without the changes made, the building could not be approved. "Last year, the safety operation standards were updated. The project and schedule had to be revised. The increase in costs reflects greater safety of the technology. These are not arbitrary additional costs; we could not have predicted them. If we did not want to cover them, the contractor could seek them through the courts," Rund said. No additional costs arose on the construction part.
The theater, according to him, will function in Plzeň for hundreds of years, and the technology is among the most modern in Europe. "We designed it to last as long as possible and require minimal maintenance," he stated.
Minor technical complications or a long and harsh winter, according to Rund, will not delay the completion date set for April 2014.
The city hall plans to hold public tours in the new building, which already has a reinforced concrete structure. These will take place according to the development of construction at the turn of September and October for two weekends. The number of participants in each group will be limited to 15 people. Additional tours will be held in the spring.
"Work is starting on the interior parts of the building, electrical, heating, water, and air conditioning systems. By mid-November, the windows will be installed, and work will continue on the interiors of the theater and the administrative building," said the head of the investment department Evžen Kaucký. The builders have already dug an eleven-meter pit for the parking garage and poured the foundation slab. It will create 165 new parking spaces for the theater, the cultural house Peklo, and the city center.
The construction of the theater, which could be named after Václav Havel, began on May 31, 2012. It will have two auditoriums with a capacity of up to 700 spectators, a ballet school, and a studio stage. The operation will be three million crowns more expensive than the current inadequate Chamber Theater. The budget for both theater buildings, the Chamber Theater and the J. K. Tyl Theater, now exceeds 140 million crowns, including salaries for members of the five ensembles. "The operation can be reduced by utilizing the new building, which has far greater capacity and facilities for the theater to improve its revenues," he added. The new building will house offices, rehearsal rooms, an orchestra, storage areas, and workshops. It reportedly has unique logistical, technical, and operational solutions.