Florenc: the jury will choose the new form from 5 competition proposals
Five selected teams made it to the finals on the basis of their previous work on urban design, architectural vision and the ability to participate in such a large competition. The fight will be international. The teams come from Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. It’s about one of the best urban offices in Europe. Our country will be represented, for example, by the Czech-English team UNIT architects + A69 – architects + Marko & Placemakers or the Czech-Dutch team de Architekten Cie. + M2AU + LOLA.
another important criterion was the composition of the team. Both architects and, for example, transport experts or sociologists had to be part of it. “The aim of the competition is to find the author of an urban study that will become the basis for a change in the zoning plan,” says Petr Navrátil, head of the planning office ONplan, which organizes the entire competition.
Half the competition behind us
The competition has two phases. The zero phase was open to any team corresponding to the strict selection criteria. A total of 57 groups signed up. This was followed by public involvement in the spring. Both in the field and online, Praguers were able to express what they have been promising since the transformation of Florence and what problems they are facing here. In the end, the jury selected five finalists in May. Emphasis was also placed on the teams having experience with urban planning and brownfield revitalization.
The project is now at the end of phase one. The contestants have completed two competition workshops and submitted a conceptual study. Come with the final project by November 15. The ceremonial announcement of the winner will be preceded by an unexpected peculiarity. The final proposals will be presented to the public before the commission meets. Public opinion will become one of the ones on which the commission will decide.
Of course, working on projects is not done by teams for free. 40,000 euros were waiting for the participants in the first phase. In the second phase, the teams will be rewarded with the same part, which after conversion to the Czech currency will reach values around one million and twenty thousand crowns. Finally, the absolute winner of the competition will receive 40,000 euros again. The winner will be decided as members of the commission by, for example, the architect and deputy mayor of Prague 7 Lenka Burgerová or the architect Pavel Hnilička, who won the Czech Prize for Architecture in 2016.
Florenc as we don’t know her
The traffic junction and the railway brownfield are to become multifunctional district, which offers a transport terminal incorporated into the development. Furthermore, a new place to live, shops, office space and places to spend free time will be built in the place. The main aim is to create a highly comfortable public environment with lively streets and squares, which would connect the New Town of Prague with the fashionable Karlín.
ČSAD Praha, which owns the station, would like it to improve its passenger comfort and connectivity to public transport. “We are expecting interesting and clever ideas from competitions on how to make this part of Prague a new city district,” said Pavel Vráblík, a member of the ČSAD Board of Directors. We will be able to see the winning design in December this year.
Bus station in Prague, Florence.
Author: Blesk: Dana Kolářová