The owners of Intercontinental and Prague propose a competition for Miloš Forman Square

Prague – The owners of the former Prague Intercontinental hotel are interested in collaborating with the capital city to announce an international architectural and urban planning competition for the future design of the adjacent Miloš Forman Square. Jakub Dyba, a representative of the hotel owners, told ČTK. According to him, the announcement of the competition depends on whether Prague 1 will join in, which has already been approved by the city's council and will be voted on by the representatives in January.

The hotel and its surroundings were purchased in 2019 through the family office R2G by entrepreneurs Oldřich Šlemr, Eduard Kučera, and Pavel Baudiš. They subsequently began renovations of the hotel, which is expected to reopen under a new name next year. The plans also included modifications to the area around the hotel, including the square, which has been named after director Miloš Forman since 2018, including the construction of a new commercial building.

However, a wave of local residents' resistance arose against it, which was joined during the last electoral period by Prague 1 and the city council. Ultimately, the Ministry of Regional Development annulled the zoning decision for the construction based on an appeal due to a conflict with the zoning plan. The Prague City Council recently approved a proposal to amend the plan submitted by the hotel owners, which would allow the construction.

The planned competition will specifically concern the square and any potential construction on it. Dyba stated that co-participation from the first city district is a condition for the announcement. "We cannot hold the competition without the support of the Prague 1 city district," he said. He added that the competition under the patronage of the Czech Chamber of Architects could be announced immediately after it is approved by the representatives of the city district.

The preparation of the competition is the responsibility of the company CCEA MOBA. "It will be a challenge for the competitors – we are located on the roof of an underground parking garage, and service and technical spaces need to be brought to the surface, as well as rental spaces, but this must not be at the expense of high-quality public space. The competition will clearly target innovative and contemporary solutions with an emphasis on local residents and visitors to the Old Town," said architect Igor Kovačević on behalf of the company.

The leadership of Prague 1 supports involvement in the competition, and it was recently approved by the council. "It is an opportunity to restore the significance of Miloš Forman Square as an important public space in the Old Town. In the jury, we will primarily defend the interests of the citizens of Prague 1 and ensure that the resulting design contributes to their comfort and aesthetic experience," said Prague 1 councilor Karel Grabein Procházka (ANO) some time ago.

The Intercontinental Hotel was developed in the brutalist style on Paris Street between 1968 and 1974 in collaboration with three architectural collectives led by Karel Filsak. It was the first international five-star hotel in former Czechoslovakia and is among the architecturally significant new buildings in the city center. After reconstruction, it will be operated by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which is part of the Accor network, under the name Fairmont Golden Prague Hotel (hotel Fairmont Zlatá Praha).