<Bém> and <Kaplický> want to tackle the problem of the new library together

Prague - The new building of the National Library according to Jan Kaplický's design should be built in Prague. This was agreed upon by Prague's mayor Pavel Bém (ODS) and the author of the design Jan Kaplický in a debate on Nova television yesterday. Both parties agreed that it is necessary to quickly find a solution to the situation surrounding the library and strive for a compromise. Among other things, they plan to set up a commission of experts and politicians to address the future of Kaplický's proposal.
In the approximately eight-member commission, alongside Bém and Kaplický, there should be representatives from the Ministry of Culture, the City Development Department, and renowned architects. The mayor mentioned, for example, David Vávra, who is one of the authors of the petition for building according to Kaplický's design in Letná.
Kaplický and Bém met today for the first time since it became clear that most Prague councilors from ODS, including the mayor, do not want the building, whose design won an international competition, to be in Letná. They stated that they already had a private meeting in the afternoon before their television appearance to clarify their mutual positions on the debates about the library.
The mayor reiterated several times today that the main obstacle to the building being located in the originally intended spot in Letná is the land. According to him, the National Library issued a competition for a different site than the city provided. "But that was not the mistake of the architect," the mayor emphasized. He does not know how it is possible that the competition was issued for a different land. The director of the library, Vlastimil Ježek, who is currently abroad, stated that the change of land was initiated by the City Development Department.
If the library according to Kaplický's design from the architectural competition is to be built in Letná, the Prague councilors would have to approve a change in the zoning plan - and according to the mayor, that is unlikely to happen. The councilors today will not decide on some general change in the zoning plan, but specifically on whether Kaplický's library will be built there. Many of them have already publicly taken a negative stance on that.
The architect today admitted that if the problem lies in the appearance of the library, he is willing to discuss the color or some other changes. "One of the fundamental problems of any building is its mass. We tried to make it as small as possible; millions of books are underground," he highlighted what he sees as a major advantage of the design. If this aspect of the building does not need to be fundamentally changed, the project can still be worked on, meaning it can be adjusted to newly emerging needs - but always based on expert discussion.
The placement of books underground is a thorn in the side of the critics of the competition - the conditions stated that this part of the building must be above ground. However, according to Ježek, this was a condition from the perspective of securing the books. Kaplický came up with a completely new system, which is why his design made it to the second round of the competition.
The mayor wants to present the director of the National Library next week with a list of specific locations where the building could rise. Discussions are taking place about Strahov, Pankrác, Prosek, Letňany, or even Stodůlky.
Both parties in the case expressed mutual goodwill and respect during today's debate. In the end, they invited each other for private visits. Kaplický is expected to visit the mayor at his Prague office, and the architect invited Bém to lunch in London, where he has lived for decades.
Viewers who voted via SMS mostly expressed support for building the library according to Kaplický's design in Letná. This opinion won among the voting viewers by a ratio of 69:31.