Three cubes in a new guise

The Prague City Council prepared a reconstruction project back in 2018. In recent years, the IPR has supplemented it with several expert studies that have helped to limit potentially insensitive interventions in the original architecture. Although the Emauzy buildings by Karel Prager, who is also the author of the more famous New Stage of the National Theater and the Federal Assembly, or the new building of the National Museum, are not listed as historical monuments, they deserve the utmost sensitivity. Moreover, the complex itself was never completed as the architect had envisioned it. The IPR has therefore been working for a long time to bring the space closer to his original ideas. Most recently, for example, by placing the CAMP premises exactly where Prager’s vision had envisaged an exhibition hall.

The buildings owned by the city will now undergo a long-awaited general renovation. Major repairs of the steel structure will allow the three cubes to continue floating above the green garden in close proximity to the Emmaus Monastery. For the first time in 50 years, the lightweight perimeter cladding will be completely replaced with a faithful replica of the original. The new cladding and replacement of technologies—particularly heating, cooling, and ventilation—will reduce the buildings’ energy consumption. The spatial layout of the administrative part reinterprets Prager’s original conceptual principles and creates a transparent contemporary working environment. The renovation of the entire complex also includes the revitalization of the space between the individual buildings, where a park with a magnificent view of the city will be created. The CAMP premises will be extended to the entire ground floor and will be accessible through the atrium. The planned reconstruction is the culmination of the IPR's long-standing efforts to make the complex accessible to the public. Two years ago, the institute removed the bars at the entrance to CAMP, added deck chairs to the lawns, and regularly invites visitors to tour the complex, for example as part of the Day of Architecture, Open House Prague, or the architecture center's special summer program.

The project documentation serves as the basis for selecting a contractor. The author of the renovation concept is Professor Miloslav Pavlík, a collaborator of Karel Prager. The restoration of the building envelope and technology was handled by a team of experts from the Czech Technical University in Prague. The spatial layout was designed by the IXA studio, and the landscape design of the complex was handled by the Land05 studio. The contractor for the reconstruction will be selected in a tender currently being prepared, and cooperation on the next stages of the project will take the form of "design & build".

The total cost of the reconstruction is estimated at CZK955 million, which represents a saving of more than CZK250 million compared to the original project. If all goes well, the renovation of the complex should begin in 2024.