Proposals for the new Prague Philharmonic will be prepared by 20 teams, the Czech minority
Prague – The jury of the architectural competition for the form of a new philharmonic orchestra on Prague’s Vltavská has selected 15 studios that will prepare competition proposals. Five studies have previously addressed the city directly, so the jury will select the winner from 20 proposals next April. City officials told reporters today. Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) added that the municipality will negotiate with the new Ministry of Culture on the previously promised co-financing of the construction by the state. The building should stand in 2032 and, according to previous estimates, should cost about six billion crowns.
According to the chairman of the jury, Michal Sedláček, 115 candidates entered the competition and it was difficult to choose 15 of them. According to him, 12 countries are represented in 20 studies that will prepare designs, five of which are from the Czech Republic or Czech architects. “I think 20 studies are really a guarantee that we will get not only a few, but many very high-quality proposals,” he said. The result of the competition was to be published in May next year, followed by a vote by city councilors.
According to Hřiba, in addition to the building, the solution of the public space around the building, which is to be part of the planned new district in the now unused large area called Bubny-Zátory, was also essential for the jury. “We want the philharmonic and its surroundings to live outside the performance itself. That is, to be not only a tourist attraction, but also a place where Praguers like to go often,” said the mayor.
The mayor’s deputy Petr Hlaváček (for TOP 09) added that in addition to the competition, the city also continues other preparatory activities, such as a survey of vibrations on plots or a survey among the public. The working group at the municipality is also discussing financing, in which, according to the previous promise, the state should also participate. However, the project documentation for the construction, which should be estimated at 750 million crowns, will be paid for by the city. The mayor of Prague 7, Jan Čižinský (Prague Sobě), added that the city district has so far set up a skate park on the plots and is planning another sports ground there.
According to the city’s plans, the involvement of other investors – in addition to the state and private ones – should come next for the construction itself, the start of which is now planned for 2027. “We see great interest from the private sector,” today Hlaváček and added that to finance the city most likely he said will establish a fund. Finally, however, the form of financing has not yet been decided. The deputy added that with regard to the development of prices of construction works, materials and energy of the municipality, it is expected that the budget will be continuously updated.
The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra with several halls should house the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Prague Symphony Orchestra. m of Prague FOK or the music department of the Municipal Library in Prague. According to the city’s ideas, the complex will be open and only has, in addition to cultural spaces, also cafes and restaurants, for example. Further large investments will be needed in the modification of the surrounding, now unused area, such as transport infrastructure and the like. The municipality for the Holešovice-Bubny brownfield, where the site for the Philharmonic is located, is preparing a territorial study. Among other things, extensive housing construction is planned there.
Discussions about the construction of a large concert hall in Prague have been going on for decades. The most suitable place was the appropriate place. The hall could have been built in Letná in the 1990s – on the site where the construction of the National Library was also considered according to the design of the architect Jan Kaplický. Japanese investors wanted to build the Czech Philharmonic for the 100th anniversary. The then Minister of Culture Milan Uhde and Mayor Milan Kondr rejected their offer.
advancing | Earth |
Opočenský Valouch architects + ALA Architects | CR + Finland |
MVRDV | Netherlands |
Kersten Geers office David Van Severen + Crist & Gantenbein Architekten | Belgium + Switzerland |
Mecanoo + Chybik Kristof Architects & Urban Designers | Netherlands + Czech Republic |
Barozzi Veiga + Atelier M1 architects | Spain + Czech Republic |
About Fujimoto Architects | Japan |
Cobe + Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects | Denmark |
Šépka architects + Mangado Y Asociados | Czech Republic + Spain |
Foster and partners | Great Britain |
Bjarke Ingels Group | Denmark |
Henning Larsen Architects | Denmark |
Carrilho da Graça Arquitectos | Portugal |
Eggs Architects | Denmark |
Bevk Perovic architects | Slovenia |
Petr Hájek Architects | CR |
Diller Scofidio + Renfro (directly contacted) | USA |
Snøhetta (directly contacted) | Norway / USA |
Ateliers Jean Nouvel (directly contacted) | France |
David Chipperfield Architects (directly contacted) | Great Britain |
Sanaa (directly contacted) | Japan |
Source: IPR, CTK