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

The competition for the completion of the 4th Quadrant of the Victory Square has moved to the 2nd phase. An international jury has selected five teams that will work on a detailed design for the completion of Prague's third largest square and the centre of Dejvice. World-renowned architectural studios and award-winning Czech offices are among the multidisciplinary teams.

On Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 February, the second competition workshop took place at CAMP, IPR Prague, where nine teams presented their concepts for the completion of the 4th Quadrant of the Victory Square and discussed them with the international jury and invited experts. The subsequent closed jury meeting resulted in the selection of five shortlisted teams for the second phase of the competition which will develop their concept into a detailed design. The selected teams are:

1. A69 – architekti (CZ)
2. Benthem Crouwel Architects (NL) + Opočenský Valouch Architekti (CZ)
3. Cityförster (NL) + Studio Perspektiv (CZ)
4. MVRDV (NL)
5. Pavel Hnilička Architects+Planners (CZ) + Baumschlager Eberle Architects (A)

"The presented projects showed a rich and wide range of solutions for the completion of the 4th Quadrant. The jury, in its discussion and selection of the shortlisted teams, put emphasis not only on the architectural and urban design of the buildings and their continuity with the urban structure of Dejvice, but also on the pedestrian permeability, quality of public spaces and blue-green infrastructure. The contribution of the completion of the 4th Quadrant to the Prague 6 citizens was also an important aspect," explains the jury chairman Kees Christiaanse, an urban planner from the Netherlands and professor at ETH Zurich.

Due to the complexity of the competition brief, invited jury experts also took part in the assessment of the competition proposals, presentations of the competition participants and discussions. They evaluated the submitted competition proposals in the themes of urban planning, cultural heritage, climate change adaptation, transport and sustainable mobility, or assessed the building construction and operation costs. The jury had the opportunity to hear expert assessments of the individual competition proposals during their discussion with the experts.

"The jury's decision was not easy, all nine proposals were very high quality and fulfilled the requirements of the competition brief. In the end, however, there was a consensus among the jury to select these five proposals. Another important criterion was the convincing fulfilment of the so-called green plot ratio, i.e. sufficient green areas with a predominance of those on vegetated terrain," says Petr Návrat, a representative of the competition organiser from the ONplan planning office, about the jury decision-making process.

"Although we have already organized many architectural competitions, either for invited architects or open ones, I am always surprised how different architectural and urban concepts can be devised for the same assignment. Also in this case, where the architects are constrained by the requirement to respect Engel's urban concept, nine very different proposals were submitted and it was not easy to shortlist the five advancing. Nevertheless, I am convinced that the jury made a good choice and I am very much looking forward to the final proposals," said Petr Palička from Penta Real Estate.

"I am glad that the investor has listened to the request for an international architectural competition with our conditions, which also include that the project should contain a generous portion of public amenities, shops, restaurants, surgeries and services. In addition to the location of the cultural centre, respect for the surroundings and the original urban concept by architect Antonín Engel is also necessary for future approval," says Jakub Stárek, the mayor of Prague 6 about the requirements of the municipality.

"Prague 6 has been experiencing insufficient cultural amenities in the central area of Dejvice and Bubeneč for a long time. The completion of the 4th Quadrant of the Victory Square is a unique opportunity to remedy this deficit. Incorporating the concept of the Victory Square cultural centre into the architectural competition is the first step on the way, at the end of which our district should have a top cultural facility of citywide significance with two halls for more than 1,000 visitors, community spaces and an adjacent café," adds Petr Prokop, statutory deputy mayor of Prague 6.

The aim of the competition workshop is to find a new form and optimal architectural and urban design solution for the north-western part of the Victory Square. The competition is organised by Fourth Quadrant, a company created by investors Penta Real Estate, Sekyra Group and Kaprain, in cooperation with the University of Chemical Technology, the City of Prague, the Municipality of Prague 6 and IPR Prague. The planning office ONplan is the organiser of the competition. Up to 100,000 m2 of space for civic amenities, apartments and administrative functions will be created in the area. The completion will also include a new 3,000 m2 Prague 6 cultural centre with two halls.

The international competition is held in the form of a so-called competition workshop, which is non-anonymous. The jury, consisting not only of architects, but also of the competition clients, representatives of the City of Prague, Prague 6 Municipality, University of Chemical Technology and IPR Prague, can have a direct dialogue with the competition teams during the workshop. In the second round, which has just begun, the five shortlisted teams will work on a detailed proposal for the completion of the Victory Square. Its final form will be known in mid-June 2023, when the third competition workshop will take place, followed by the jury's selection of the competition winner.

Source: ONplan, IPR Praha