The roofs of the Křižík pavilions at the Prague Exhibition Center will be green and will be freely accessible
The planned appearance of the roof of the Křižík pavilions. Visualization: MHMP
Green living areas will be created on the roofs of the Křižík pavilions at the Prague Exhibition Center. The areas will be freely accessible to people after the roof is repaired, and the possibility of sitting will also complement the offer of refreshments. The costs of changing the roofs and renovating the metal towers and buffets on pedestrian areas will amount to approximately 100 million crowns. The new green spaces should open to visitors in the first half of 2023. This was told to journalists today by Deputy Mayor of Prague Pavel Vyhnánek (Praha Sobě) and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Výstaviště Praha Tomáš Hübl.
Work begins on the revitalization and greening of the roofs of the Křižík pavilions at the Prague Exhibition Center. The reconstruction of the pavilions itself has progressed to the final stage. Newly, three pavilions are now completely renovated and approved, and the last fourth is being completed. The costs for the reconstruction of the pavilions reached approximately 190 crowns without VAT. It should be completed by the end of 2023.
“The repaired Křižík pavilions on their roofs will offer a completely new green oasis for the people of Prague. It is important that the reconstruction of these buildings also includes today’s much-needed ecological measures. After completion, the pavilions will offer not only multifunctional spaces of a high standard for organizing events, but also new pleasant green zones for rest and entertainment,” said Vyhnánek.
The revitalization of the roofs of the pavilions and the realization of residential zones immediately follow the reconstruction of the Křižík pavilions. The new green roofs will offer a pleasant living space with the possibility of sitting and an offer of small gastronomic services with beautiful views of the neighboring Industrial Palace and the Prague Exhibition Center.
Planting flat roofs with vegetation, in addition to a friendly environment for visitors, will also bring a natural cooling of the local microclimate in the hot summer months. The city will thus create a new green oasis for the people of Prague and an interesting space for popular events on Prague rooftops and terraces.
First of all, rehabilitation will be carried out in the amount of almost 50 million crowns, when the existing surface layer will be removed, the railings will be dismantled and then installed, insulation will be installed and insulation will be delivered. The company took over the contract at the beginning of September with completion in January 2023.
Before the actual reconstruction into residential areas, the buffets on the roofs will be repaired and the metal structure towers will be revitalized with the finalization of all works by the end of this year and a budget exceeding 30 million crowns.
The realization of the living spaces will be ensured on the basis of the project assignment of the architects of Výstaviště Praha, with the fact that the contractor is now being selected from the received bids. I will secure the winner of the contract with the completion next year, when the greenery will be planted at the same time. All work is planned to be completed by the end of 2023.
During the revitalization of the roofs of the Křižík pavilions, various events can be held in the already reconstructed pavilions. “This year at the Exhibition Center is marked by extensive renovations, which, however, will place the area among the top in the field of multifunctional spaces not only in Central Europe in the coming years. Křižík’s pavilions providing space for events that, in their scope, required the Industrial Palace in particular in the next two years, especially until the completion and modernization of the Industrial Palace. We are therefore very happy to be able to offer our business partners a full-fledged alternative for events with modern and top-notch facilities. Even the following transformation of the roof of the Křižík pavilions will not affect the rental of the interior spaces,” said Hübl.
The reconstruction of all four Křižík pavilions, which progresses one building at a time, was started in 2020. The first pavilion D was reopened in 2009, and at the moment the repairs of the others, the larger pavilion B and the smaller pavilion C, are being completed.
All buildings were completely demolished and dismantled, with only the steel structure with the roof and the central part of the floor preserved, which underwent repairs after the floods in 2002. All electrical wiring, central heating and cooling wiring, and air conditioning were made new. The spaces can now also be almost 100% shaded. The last of the pavilions, building E, will be completed in November this year.
The repaired and modernized Křižík pavilions, with a total area of almost 5,500 square meters, will serve events that require the size of the Industrial Palace. After the new reconstruction, it will again serve its purpose, but the pavilions will not lose their use.
About the Křižík pavilions
The Křižíkovy pavilions are located in the lower park part of the Výstaviště Prague area and together form the Křižíkovy fountain amphitheater. Thanks to the extensive reconstruction that all buildings are gradually undergoing from 2020, Křižík’s pavilions provide ideal spaces for social and exhibition events of all kinds.
The history of the Křižík pavilions dates back to 1991, when the General Czechoslovak Exhibition was held at the Prague Exhibition Center. On this occasion, a set of four exhibition pavilions named after František Křižík was built according to the project of architect Michal Brix in the lower part of the area around the Křižík fountain, which at the same time underwent reconstruction.
The glazed pavilions have a simple white steel structure and are marked with the letters B to E. The two outermost pavilions (B and E) each have an area of 1,900 square meters, while the middle pavilions (C and D) each have an area of 844 square meters.
The owner of Výstaviště is the Prague municipality, the area is managed by the city-owned company Výstaviště Praha. It leases the premises from Prague and pays rent to the city for the use of the premises. Many of the buildings on the campus are now undergoing renovation. The work is financed by the municipality from its budget.
Currently, the workers are rebuilding the Bohemia restaurant building into a representative hall for about 110.8 million crowns, and for about 200 million they are repairing the Spirála theater, which has not been functioning since the flood in 2002.
In February, the reconstruction of the Industrial Palace and the construction of its burned-out wing began. One of the current largest investments in Prague should cost 2.64 billion crowns and should be completed in 2025.