The pavilion in Miloš Forman Square will shield him from the noise of Paris Street

Prague - One of the functions of the pavilion that is set to be built in Miloš Forman Square next to the Fairmont Golden Prague hotel (formerly the Intercontinental) will be to shield the space from Paris Street. Anders Lonka from the Danish studio ADEPT, which succeeded in the competition for the transformation of the square, stated this during today's project presentation. He added that it was crucial for the architects to cool the square with trees due to climate change while respecting the historical surroundings. The plan for the construction of the building in the square has drawn criticism in the past.

The space is owned, along with the neighboring hotel, by the family office R2G of entrepreneurs Oldřich Šlemr, Eduard Kučera, and Pavel Baudiš. They have already renovated the hotel itself and had a large part of its surroundings modified, but the debate regarding the piazzetta has stalled precisely due to the intention to supplement it with new construction. After the owners were unsuccessful with a project that included the construction of a glass cube building, they launched an international competition, in which Danish architects succeeded at the beginning of this year.

They proposed a pavilion along Paris Street with glass facades facing both Paris Street and the square. Lonka stated today that the Danish architects originally designed a building smaller than what the investor wanted, who initially asked for an area of 1200 and later 1000 square meters. The architects fulfilled this, with approximately half of the area at the level of the square and the other half in the underground section.

"We wanted to design a pavilion that does not take up space in the square," said the architect. Therefore, the roof of the pavilion is to be publicly accessible and, according to the owners, work is also being done to ensure it is fully barrier-free. The building is also meant to shield the central area in front of it from noise from automotive traffic on Paris Street. The square will include a water feature and, in some form, a commemoration of the legacy of director Miloš Forman, after whom the piazzetta has been named since 2018.

The architects proposed a relatively large number of trees in the square both around the perimeter of the space and within the square itself. According to Lonka, the goal is to reduce temperature, which is already essential due to climate change in public spaces in cities if they are to be usable in the summer. Due to the underground parking lot, it will be necessary to plant trees on mounds of soil to provide enough space for their roots. Irrigation will primarily utilize underground and rainwater.

Such a number of trees is unusual for a square in the center of Prague, which will mean complicated negotiations with heritage protectors. "I remember how difficult it was to convince them even that the trees lining the streets are also part of the center of Prague," said architect Marek Tichý from the TaK Architects studio, which was responsible for the renovation of the hotel and the adjustments to its surroundings according to the original plan. According to him, negotiations with heritage protectors have already begun, and both investors and architects are communicating with local residents. How long the project preparation will take is now difficult to say, according to Tichý; it could be a year and a half or longer. The investor estimates the costs of the adjustments at 150 million crowns.