Prague's first skyscraper, built in 1934 and known as the Trade Union House in Prague's Žižkov district, is set to receive a major renovation, reports seznamzpravy.cz. The dilapidated but listed building has been owned by the bathroom empire SIKO since 2018.
Instead of offices, modern rental housing will be created in more than 600 small-sized 23 sqm apartments complemented by shops, galleries, multifunctional halls and sports facilities. From the beginning, the plan was to enable young people, especially students from the nearby University of Economics, to live in the city centre, which is why the concept of small apartments was chosen here.
The Valo family, owning SIKO, already has the necessary approval from conservationists, so now the renovation itself can begin. The reconstruction is based on a design by the QARTA Architektura studio.
There are currently fewer than 700 offices inside, and the only renovated space in the building is the Přítomnost cinema, which was created from an unused social hall. The building has high heat losses and no longer meets current requirements. The purchase of the building itself cost CZK 1 billion (€ 40.6 million).
