Správa železnic Headquarters, Praha
2021

Správa železnic is an important state-owned company and its headquarters form an integral part of its public image and face. We will only have one headquarters, one building, one symbol, therefore one face. Its form reflects the dynamism of railways, and the rounded shapes that of high-speed trains. It is a significant building that is without a doubt representative of its purpose in the public space of the city. Its tower will act as an orientation point and will enable people to determine the location of the train station in the urban landscape. Its location in the heart of the city is befitting of its stature. Its street front articulates the specificity of the place as a transport terminal and the change in scale and size associated with it. Its flat horizontal structure introduces a vertical elevation in the street that creates a motif for its interface with the urban texture. The exceptional urbanistic structure of the terminal creates an appropriate partnership, whereby the natural character of the tower connects the otherwise almost unconnectable. In terms of structure and height, it visually interconnects the two sides of the tracks with the new Smíchov City quarter, the Česká spořitelna campus, and the area around Nádražní (Railway) street. By doing so, it will strengthen the function of the terminal as a connecting point. It therefore supports the compact urban character of the revitalized area. The relationship to the planned redevelopment of Smíchov is contextual. It involves projects to change the place on the other side of the tracks by generating synergies, thereby creating an attractive address out of a former brownfield site. This aside, housing the company´s headquarters in one building makes economic sense, both in terms of investment and operations. It will also be considerate to the environment and flexible in terms of area. At the same time, it will free-up valuable building land that Správa železnic can use for completing the transfer of its administrative operations and organisational units, which are currently scattered, to one place. For example, moving the Regional Directorate Prague from Holešovice station, which is awaiting reconstruction.

The value of the freed-up building land must be included in the economic analysis of the project. This land is estimated to be 4,500 m² in total. According to current regulations, multi-storey buildings with a minimum floor area of 26,000 m² can be built on the land.