at Academy of Arts Architecture and Design in Prague
2018

THE URBANISM

The urban design consists of three interconnected parts. The first is the surroundings of the National Museum. A place whose history is strongly linked to the political events in the city. A place that has written history. The purpose of this project was to reinforce this fact, but at the same time
but also to move it forward. The layout of the proposed buildings creates a coherent complex - a new square that connects two districts - two boulevards, i.e. Václavský (Old Town) and Vinohradský (Vinohrady). It heals the scar of the uncompromising traffic intervention of the 1970s. In this part, the arterial road has been cleared underground. The tunnel entrances are designed within two boundary houses. This prevents the creation of inappropriate cascades in the public space. The main proposed buildings are the Parliament, the Kunsthalle (former Federal Assembly building) and the New National Museum building. A cultural and political platform is being created here. The second site is Vrchlického sady.
Here a partial development is proposed. In its layout, whether of the parterre or the building programme, it seeks not to detract from but to reinforce
the original one. It is an open structure. Another proposal is the introduction of a tram stop at the park. The thoroughfare is calmed to two lanes in each direction and placed at ground level. This revitalises the ground floor of the surrounding buildings. The traffic is intermingled with the greenery. A main bus station is being built opposite the main train station. At the same time, the proposal seeks to relieve a site with strong potential from traffic congestion, i.e. the area around the Negrelli Viaduct in Florence, where the bus station and car park are currently located. The last proposal is the so-called "Žižkov Gate", which is located in the third part of the urban planning. It is a development that follows the shape of the typical original Žižkov block and thus completes the missing part of the district. The reinforced boundary is also a pedestrian and cycling path connecting Žižkov with Vinohrady.

THE BUILDING

The proposal seeks above all to redefine the game between politicians and citizens. The location of the main meeting hall at ground level is therefore essential. The space thus becomes a kind of funnel that draws passers-by into the political debate that is currently taking place. This enables the transformation of the demonstration into a direct discussion. It gives the people the opportunity to become actors in the political process. To leave the virtual space of passivity and rediscover the real space of activism. The new square then takes on the charge of the most influential gathering place in the city. It becomes the epicentre of the parliamentary landscape. The square as a discussion platform.
Parliament is conceived in two buildings. The main one is the "public house" - a cylinder with meeting rooms extending through the "former federal assembly building", where the kunsthalle is located. This gives the visitor the opportunity to experience political events with the cultural crown. The second building of the parliament is the "private house"- the administration of the Senate and the House of Commons. This building also retains a public face to some extent. It has an active public parterre and a trans- parent façade on which one can see where a particular parliamentary or senatorial caucus is sitting.