According to Penta, the proposal combines contemporary modern architecture with the original First Republic plans of the architect Antonín Engel, who wanted to give Vítězný náměstí a palatial neoclassical appearance. According to the authors, Victoria Palace respects the circular shape of the square and the surrounding buildings with its height and shape of the roof. The main elements of the building are facade slats made of aluminum and glass cement, which cost 150 million crowns.
In addition to the building shell, according to the investors, the building has one more visually attractive element - an entrance lobby with lighting from the Preciosa company and with Italian travertine cladding. This material was popular with the ancient Romans, who used it to build, for example, the Colosseum, St. Peter's Basilica or the Trevi Fountain.
Original rendering of Victoria Palace
Original visualization of Victoria Palace|Penta
According to architect Zdenek Lukeš, the project is a bit of a lost opportunity. "About ten years ago, when the land still belonged to Peter Kellner, they put out a competition for the house and the very inventive design of the architect Radan Hubička won, but unfortunately it did not pass the conservative conservationists. The design divided the large mass horizontally and thereby optically reduced it. In my opinion, Cigler's project visually enlarges the house with the white vertical lines that extend over the roof, so it appears taller than Engel's buildings, even though it is not," said Lukeš. However, according to him, it is good that apartments and shops are part of the project.
According to Penta's earlier statement, the price per square meter will reach up to 225,000 crowns on site. According to the latest data from the development company Central Group, an apartment in a new building in Prague currently costs an average of 152,644 crowns per square meter, and 123,683 crowns per square meter for older apartments. All 1,900 square meters of commercial space in Victoria Palace is also leased.
Victory Square was created in 1925. Its urban concept was designed by Antonín Engel, but it was never completed. The completion of the so-called fourth quadrant is supposed to change that. The Victory Square had several names, for example between 1952 and 1990 it was called the October Revolution, but the name "Kulaták" was adopted among Praguers.
The author of the winning design for the completion of the square is the Dutch and Czech studio Benthem Crouwel International and Opočenský Valouch Architects (OVA). A multifunctional building with apartments, offices, shops, services and restaurants is to be created in the fourth quadrant. Penta Real Estate is also planning further construction in this area.
