4th Quadrant of Victory Square
International Architectural Competition
Prague, Czech Republic

A new angle on Engel

The 4th Quadrant development is the long-awaited completion of Antonin Engel’s Masterplan for Vítězné náměstí. Our proposal connects to its historical meaning.  At the same time, it opens up new possibilities for a diversified public realm attracting a variety of residents, users and visitors. 

As the history of Victory Square is closely related to the birth of the Czech Republic, the symbolic meaning of democratic values is represented in its grand monumental layout and neo-classical architecture. In the present day, democratic values are still as strong, but the meaning has expanded to more accessible, inclusive and engaging spaces. Our proposal uses the potential of the mixed-use development to create ‘Democratic Architecture’: a varied program of functions, building typologies, public spaces and urban interiors that offer something for everyone. Seeking to create spaces that are not only functional and aesthetically pleasing but also contribute to the well-being and social, economic and cultural life of the community.

By opening up Engel‘s geometry to the public, two contrasting qualities arise on the plots along Technická. On one side a public square, formed by all-sided buildings, invites people to come together, interact and celebrate life. On the other side, a more traditional block embraces a semi-private oasis; the microforest offers a fantastic living environment. The plinth is fully permeable and is characterized by open facades, welcoming entrances, informal routes, alleys, passages and squares. The first underground level is seamlessly integrated as part of this plinth and offers an additional layer to public life. It connects directly to the metro station, the mall, the culture center, the university, offices, retail and food-market. 

The set of unique buildings is thoughtfully designed to form a diverse yet recognizable whole. This results in a holistic, inclusive and people-oriented urban development that has a rich and layered meaning; a collage of different shapes and spaces in a human scale, where everyone is and feels welcome.

History, present, future

#1 To complete Engel‘s generous vision for Victory Square, considering the new needs of the city with a smart mix of features that will bring new energy to Dejvice.

Completing the semicircle of Victory Square will demonstrate the strength of the geometric vision and complete the main axis of the CTU campus. It will become a new destination for students, residents of Dejvice and the whole of Prague. By connecting to the city’s infrastructure with diverse spaces and a balanced functional mix, we will create a block full of life at every moment of the day and throughout the year.

#2 Create a new urban concept of symmetrical blocks with high quality public space, connected and permeable in all directions, supporting the activation of the city‘s parterre.

Two adjacent blocks have the same footprint but unique context. The western one ends Zikova Street in its center with a sunken square. It functions as a vibrant administrative and university location. The northern part is purely residential and consists of a hybrid block with a semi-enclosed courtyard that serves as a quiet corner for its residents and visitors. Both blocks are connected on all sides to key pedestrian routes, making them permeable and creating no barriers. The parter to the city is open to smaller operations to activate the streets. Towards the inner blocks, the parterre offers everyday seating and tranquillity in a busy city.

#3 Design Dejvice-inspired architecture that brings new opportunities for living, working, learning and culture, the local community and visitors.

Each facade has a different structure that reflects the function of the building, its context and orientation. This creates a mix that matches the scale of typical Dejvice houses with a rich material palette and small. The plasticity of the facades of the apartment buildings allows for further occupation. Large office and institutional buildings complement the ground floor with their atriums, which will be alive even in the winter months. The design concept is open for further refinement with the investors of the individual buildings. The cultural center connected at the end of Technical Street represents a new point for the cultural axis of Dejvice.

#4 Design an efficient and sustainable structure with quality material solutions that will stand the test of time and contribute not only to solving the climatic problems of today‘s city, thanks to smart infrastructure.

The design of sustainable urbanism and public spaces requires a multidisciplinary approach. We design buildings with high energy efficiency, but also well designed adjacent public spaces that support forms of sustainable transport. The design of green infrastructure consists of a dense network of surface and point vegetation elements such as perennial plantings or tree avenues. Green infrastructure helps to reduce the heat island effect, improve air quality and retain rainwater from paved surfaces and building roofs. Sustainable materials such as wood or recycled materials are used in the design. The use of local materials is preferred.

In the first round of the competition, we defined the main ambition of our design in creating a PLACE THAT CONNECTS .... spaces, people and events into a coherent, structured and clear urban environment of the center of Dejvice and the entire Prague 6 district.

From the beginning, it was essential for our design to respect the established tendencies of urban use and the position of Vítězné Square in the behaviour of people, in the dynamics of the city and in the life of the district. 

Our proposal for the second round returns to the individual themes of Antonín Engel’s design. The key for us is his vision for Technická Street, laid out as a university avenue terminating in a triumphant arch gateway to Vítězné Square, accentuated with a high-rise rectorate building to the north. We focus on the clear spatial definition of the university avenue and its relationship to Vítězné Square. We feel that each space in central Dejvice has a different function and place in the hierarchy of the system of public spaces. Vítězné Square, with its scale and use, constitutes the representative function of the center of Dejvice and the center of the entire Prague 6 district. The crossroads of Technická and Šolínova Streets, where we are placing the Piazzetta, functions as a more communal and social space.

In the design, we reinforce the different characters of the two squares. We reinforce the commercial character of Vítězné Square with a continuous commercial arcade connected to Dejvická metro station. 

On the other hand, the Piazzetta is a platform for a pair of public institutions, the University of Chemistry and Technology and the Cultural Centre, which, through their program and openness, nourish the cultural and commercial axis of Dejvice and stabilize it at the interface between the university campus and the urban structure. We see this space as a platform for open communication, as a gateway to central Dejvice and, at the same time, a gateway to the academic campus. We believe in the synergy of both institutions, thanks to which the site can become an important focal point strengthening the role of the 4th quadrant as the cultural and social center of gravity of Dejvice, taking on a city-wide significance.

The Green Quadrant

Prague’s Victory Square and Dejvice

Prague’s Victory Square forms the heart of Dejvice in Prague 6. Over the years, it has become one of the most successful districts in Prague: chique, urban, popular, expensive and mixed. It forms a coherent, beautiful, classic urban city part, where grandeur combines with life. Its architecture is distinct and graceful; its masterplan by Antonin Engel a coherent but also creative application of neoclassical urbanism.

The 4th Quadrant

At Victory Square, the central space of Engel’s Masterplan, one part is missing: the 4th Quadrant. It was designed by Engel as the highlight of the square, especially through the inclusion of a monumental gate towards Technická street.

The Completed Masterplan

Our proposal aims to complete Engel’s masterplan by bringing back his original intentions for the 4th Quadrant, but updating it towards future standards. We propose two building blocks: one containing the required offices and the university building, and one containing the housing program.

The Filigree

These volumes are outfitted with a façade that resembles a veil; a filigree of low-carbon material, that is an echo of Engel’s original design and forms the core of the project. This Filigree is subtly adapted to the various programs and desires, creating many different relations, leading to a wonderfully varied quarter with its own character. It is sometimes intensely connected and sometimes extraordinarily open and accessible.

The Green Quadrant

And it is green. Literally, by placing trees and shrubs behind the veil, on balconies and roofs and against facades and walls. But also from the point of sustainability, by using low-carbon materials, PV-panel infills and water-storing capacities. Over time, the Green Quadrant will form an oasis of lush vegetation. It can thus become a vibrant and culturally rich place with a high density of users, brought together by a green shelter.

The Centre of Prague´s Dejvice district was composed as a monumental representation space. The statement of pride and power of the new young democracy. Czech Democracy has not come easy in the 20th century and the space was patiently waiting for its completion. Nowadays the history lets us wander in a vast space, which fulfils the duty of a huge traffic crossroad rather than anything it was originally meant to be. 

One can experience a lot of contrast in the area. If you dive in the surrounding housing quarters of Dejvice/Bubeneč, you will often find yourself in spaces of a very different quality. Streets with wide pavements under a canopy of grown up trees. Cosy small-town-like squares enliven with busy restaurants and cafés. Young families pushing their strollers around the playgrounds. 

The 4th quadrant plays a particularly interesting part in the picture. As it has lain intact for decades, people started using it as their own. Despite the low urban quality, the locals would find there a big open and accessible space they needed. Gradually trees have been planted and people have been enjoying walking their dogs, having rendezvous and exercising under them. Farmers´ markets and various cultural events have become very common, turning the site into an essential part of the local community´s daily life. 

We respect the heritage of the 1920s masterplan. Yet the local people’s behaviour and their expectations inspire us to go beyond its mere fulfilment. We would like to build on the urban qualities of the housing part of Dejvice and to exploit the full potential given by the proximity of public transport. That is why we propose to open otherwise solid street lines and therefore keep the whole site accessible for public. 

Our vision is to finalize the block urban structure of the district while creating new vibrant public spaces inside the blocks - to activate new social and commercial lungs of Prague 6.