Prague is asking for a super-ecological Terminal Smíchov. That’s why the budget swelled to double
“The city is committed to the green Fit for 55 initiative, which also supports electromobility. In addition to preparing for charging personal electric cars, I also make charging points for trackless trolleybuses there. This technology has not yet been definitively resolved, transport companies are working on it, but I am already thinking about charging docks in the project,” explained one of the project’s architects, Jaroslav Wertig from the A69 studio – architects.
In the new assignment, Prague places a strong emphasis on electromobility. “We proceeded to increase the number of parking spaces for electric cars to fifty percent of all. This entails higher costs, for example, to ensure the current input for this electromobility,” explains Vít Hofman, spokesman for the Prague municipality.
In the parking garage for 1,000 cars, five hundred parking spaces will allow electric cars to be charged. “I think it is good will of Prague to require such a high number of parking spaces for electric cars. It is certainly not mandated by any Czech legislation. There, it was difficult to enforce the requirement for residential buildings. So it’s a reaction to the expected development of electromobility,” comments EY’s partner for the automotive industry, Petr Knap.
“Parking electric cars means a lot of extra costs not only for the chargers themselves, but also for meeting fire safety requirements. Firefighters demand, for example, higher floors and wider parking spaces for handling a burning electric car and other measures. This also affects the economy of the construction,” explains Wertig’s influence, adding that adapting half of the parking spaces to electric cars is a very bold ambition of the city.
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It could come across the technical possibilities of a building that was designed with a different specification. “The project started as a parking garage for cars with internal combustion engines, so the original design needs to be adapted to that,” warns Wertig, and claims that although modern technologies in the field of electromobility are already considered in the assignment, it is not a certain design, it is possible to do it in full scope to incorporate.
The ecological nature of the transport megastructure was also reflected in the roof solution. This not only captures a huge amount of rainwater, which it leads into retention tanks, but also the naturally windy areas of train and bus platforms and require forced, technologically demanding ventilation. In addition, its use for obtaining solar energy is also discussed.
“The roof of the terminal would fit panels with an area of about six football fields. But now we are solving the problem of the traction line for future trolleybuses, while the railway traction is one floor below. That’s why we are solving how photovoltaics will work in synergy with those tractions, we are in the phase where we are checking the feasibility of placing the panels on the roof,” Wertig describes one of the possible pitfalls.
For this modern technological equipment, the investors, which include the Prague municipality, the transport company, České dráhy or Správa železnik, will have to put down significantly more money than the 2.16 billion that were expected last April. “Currently, our budget costs are around five billion crowns,” said Hofman.
In addition to new technologies, the budget increase was also influenced by a change in design, the final form of which was approved by the city council last year. “The look has changed mainly because of the construction possibilities of such a huge roof. From the beginning, it was supposed to be a large shelter with a minimum of technology. This means natural ventilation and a minimal need for lighting. We moved from white to gray-silver color mainly for maintenance reasons,” explains the co-author of the design, Boris Redchenkov from the A69 studio – architects.
Even the change in aesthetics itself is the reason for increased costs. “In the original considerations, there was no all-glass roof, but only its edging above the pedestrian areas. “Today, according to the modified specifications of the Prague administration, we have all platforms covered with glass scales in the entire area,” explains Hofman on behalf of the municipality.
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A test piece of the roof was supposed to be built near the future terminal before the autumn municipal elections. “On that sample, we wanted to test the construction and pick up all the details. At the same time, the public could comment. However, it is not possible from the procedural side, because in the end the building authority required a building permit from us,” says Redčenkov.
The sample will most likely not be seen by the public. “Unfortunately, the processing of the zoning decision and building permit for the roof sample has become so complicated that we are already past the time when we needed it. At this point, we’re talking about the fact that the sample may not happen,” Hofman said.
According to the municipality and the architects, the preparation of the project is proceeding unexpectedly quickly. The terminal has successfully passed the EIA environmental impact assessment and is awaiting a zoning decision. The project team, which consists of the authors of the A69 proposal – architects Sudop Praha, Sudop EU and Metroprojekt Praha – is working on the documentation for the building permit. Even so, the original completion date, planned for 2026, will not be met.
“The territorial decision should be made by the end of this year. Building permit then until the end of next year. If it succeeds, we would like to start construction from the beginning of 2024. We assume that the duration of construction will be four to five years, including approval and commissioning,” Hofman summarizes further developments. Even in a more favorable scenario, it will start operating in 2028.