The Directorate of Waterways of the Czech Republic (Ředitelství vodních cest) has selected the winner of a two-phase open architectural competition for the design of a comprehensive renovation of the existing bridge structure on the local road on Za Elektrárnou Street in Prague, which spans the Trója—Podbaba navigation canal, to ensure that the clearance height under the bridge for boat passage is increased to 7 meters above the water level. The design by the NEMEC & TALLER ARCHITEKTUR studio best met the expectations of the expert jury, which evaluated it as the most suitable response to the competition brief.

The architectural design competition was organized in cooperation with the Czech Waterways Directorate, the Prague Institute of Planning and Development, and the City of Prague administration, with the aim of achieving a dignified architectural and landscape solution for the entire area affected by the canal bridge.

In the first phase of the competition, the Czech Waterways Directorate received a total of 12 competition entries; in March of this year, following detailed discussion and careful evaluation, the jury selected the five best proposals to advance to the final round. In the second phase of the evaluation, the proposal by NEMEC & TALLER ARCHITEKTUR s.r.o. was selected as the winner. Second place went to the architectural firm EHL & KOUMAR ARCHITEKTI s.r.o., and third place to Lucid Architects Limited.

The winning team addressed the requirements of the Czech Waterways Directorate competition guidelines with a design for an integrated bridge structure without moving parts, taking the landscape character of Stromovka and Císařský Island into full consideration, in the spirit of Prague’s arched and vaulted bridges. The transportation solution for this location is further developed through a shared space without physical barriers along both banks of the navigation canal and across the bridge spanning it.