Masaryk Railway Station regeneration
In May 2016, Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) revealed their plans with local partners and the city of Prague for the regeneration of a brownfield urban site adjacent to the city's Masaryk Railway Station. Having stood derelict for several decades, the aim of the project is to return the site to active use.
The mixed-use development stitches together Prague's Districts 1, 3 and 8, minimising the impact of the elevated Wilsonova Highway which separates them. Around 1 km from Prague's central square, the project creates a sequence of buildings and interconnecting public spaces along Na Florenci Boulevard, as well as a new public plaza adjacent to the railway station.
It is anticipated that over 22,000 sq. m of disused land adjacent to Masaryk Railway Station will be regenerated into a new central business district for the city, with the construction of approximately 90,000 sq. m of mixed-use office, retail and public spaces.
The design responds to the Old Town's urbanism. known as 'the city of 100 spires'; establishing a dialogue with the city and anchoring the new public plaza at the station by dynamically transforming the project's horizontal composition parallel with the railway lines to the vertical on the west façade facing the Old Town.
.jpg)
Designed as a series of buildings that vary in scale and composition to be compatible with the city's existing urban fabric, the new central business district responds to the demands of the city's growing service and IT sector requirements for flexible Class A office accommodation.
Construction of phase one could be completed in 2020, with all phases completed in 2022. Penta, the majority owner of the development consortium, will spend CZK 135 million on the reconstruction of Masaryk Railway Station, with a total budget for regenerating the site exceeding CZK 6.5 billion.
Marek Dospiva, Partner at Penta, said:
“Since selecting Zaha Hadid Architects' design as the winner of the 2014 competition, Penta has partnered with the city, Zaha Hadid and her team at ZHA to develop the designs to regenerate this site in the capital that has been abandoned for decades into a vibrant new central business district with exceptional public spaces.”
Craig Kiner, Project Associate at ZHA said:
“In collaboration with our partners and the city, we have developed an urbanism for the site which draws inspiration from our analysis of the city and the site's dynamic circulation networks, creating an architectural response that is sensitive to context, unifying in aspiration and contributes to the urban fabric of Prague.”
Content and images courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- 600 Collins Street, Melbourne.
- Battersea power station.
- Brownfield land.
- D'Leedon, Singapore.
- England's Railway Heritage from the Air.
- Enterprise zones.
- Housing contribution to regeneration.
- Kaohsiung Station, Taiwan.
- Millennium Mills.
- Port House, Antwerp.
- Salerno Maritime Terminal.
- Railway stations.
- Regeneration.
- Vienna Central Station.
- Wembley Park.
- Zaha Hadid.
Featured articles and news
The average kinetic energy of molecules
Temperature in buildings, explained on DB
Women and unequal pay in project management
Main barrier to entering the profession, new study reveals.
IHBC’s response to Parliamentary Committee
On Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill.
Finalists for 2022 CIOB Awards revealed
Over 70 managers and organisations shortlisted for the 14 awards.
Types of building sensors on BD
From biometric to electrical current, chemical and more.
Government mandates detectors in rented homes
Changes are due to come into force on 1st October 2022.
80% of major government projects are rated red or amber
Heed advice and insight of this report IPA tells the government.
The end of the games but continued calls for action
From the Commonwealth Association of Architects.
CIOB respond to the government call for evidence
For the Levelling Up, Housing & Communities Committee.
How are buildings and their occupants responding to extreme heat?
BSRIA's Technical Director reflects on recent weather patterns.
Landownership in England in 1909
A national valuation to fund old-age pensions.
The world’s largest Commonwealth memorial to the missing.
Long after the end of the defects liability period.
BSRIA Occupant Wellbeing survey BOW
Occupant satisfaction and wellbeing in buildings.
Geometric form and buildings in brief
From the simple to the complex.
Understanding the changing nature of insulation
And the UK Government guidelines.
Three year action plan to improve equity, diversity and inclusion
Commitment agreed to by major built environment bodies.
The Construction Route – what needs to change?
Electrical skills, low carbon, high-tech and the building services revolution.
Deep geothermal power possibilities
Ultra-deep drilling with millimeter-wave beam technology.
BSRIA Briefing 2022- From the outside looking in
Looking at the built environment from space.
Competence requirements for principal contractors and designers
BSI standards 8671, 8672 and 8673.
Bringing life to burial grounds.
From failed modernism to twenty-minute neighbourhoods.
Design chill and design freeze
The gates process and change control.