Like in many of today’s urban areas, this modern shopping mall benefits from a surface area of 50 000 m² in the very heart of the historic center of Prague (Czech Republic). Although it is quite a prestigious opportunity to be able to leave one’s mark on such a site, there are many inherent constraints to deal with. Associating with two Czech architects for the project, Zdenek Hölzel and Jan Kerel, Claude Parent did not try to impose a potentially abstruse architectural gesture in a place loaded with such historical significance. Instead, he sought to assimilate, reinterpret and modernize the existing architectural vocabulary. The rectangular plan of the building fits into an already densely built up city block. The architects chose to design a hollow structure with a vast central void protected by a roof on the ground floor+1 level. The resulting façade overlooking the Na Prikope is a genuine feat of architectural prowess with its two mobile grids (network of triangular tubes in stainless steel) shifting along rails according to the time of the day.
Audrey Jeanroy
