Revitalization of Buďánky in Prague 5 will cost around 350 million

Prague - The restoration of the former workers' colony Buďánka in Prague is expected to cost around 350 million koruna, according to preliminary estimates. The costs include repairs to the original houses as well as the construction of new buildings. The company Geosan Alfa anticipates that construction work could begin at the turn of 2010 and 2011, company director Roman Hrubý told reporters today.
    According to the plan, the colony is to return nearly to its original state. "The design is based on the thesis that we will restore the original image of the location," said architect Jan Šesták.
    Some houses will be restored to their exact historical form, while others will be renewed without original details. Other houses will have a modern character. Five new apartment buildings of irregular shapes are to be built near Plzeňská Street. "Intentionally, this is a contrasting solution with a flat roof, according to preservationists, it is better than building historicizing houses with a gabled roof," Šesták pointed out.
    Residential use should prevail in both new and original houses. According to Hrubý, a total of 46 to 56 apartments are planned. However, the exact number will be determined by a more detailed study, which will take into account noise conditions and environmental pollution, for example. A restaurant will be restored in the colony, which may also include a museum; shops will be located on the ground floor of the buildings at Plzeňská Street. The buildings on the street were destroyed during its expansion.
    The investor is to submit an urban and economic study to the Prague 5 city hall by the end of July. According to Hrubý, the office will have it already next week, and the councilors could discuss it in June. If approved, according to Hrubý, the project preparation will fully commence, and the exact shape of the development will be known in about a year. There could potentially be fewer new buildings, and they might have a different shape, he noted. The current rough study has been positively received by preservationists, Hrubý added.
    Geosan Alfa won the tender for the restoration investor last autumn. If its proposal for the restoration of Buďánka is accepted, Prague 5 will sell the local land to the company. The proposed price is 31 million koruna.
    The original study by the company planned a much more radical reconstruction of the colony, which the city hall did not permit. According to Šesták, the new plan attempts to reconcile the interests of the city hall, preservationists, and the investor. Although the company wants to finalize the plan by the end, it admits that the project may not materialize. There might not be an agreement with the authorities, it may not be possible to reconcile old and new construction, or the investor may be pressured into too many compromises, Hrubý outlined.
    The use of the colony from the mid-19th century has been addressed by the Smíchov city hall for several years. The condition of the original houses is continually deteriorating, and some have already had to be demolished.