Developer Lordship has announced that Architekti A B.K.P.Š. has won an architectural competition for a new mixed-use building on Špitálska Street in Bratislava. The jury concluded that the studio's proposal most convincingly restores the missing section of the street frontage while respecting the architecture of the Prior department store and Hotel Kyjev complex. The competition was organised as part of Lordship's broader Arteria project, which covers the regeneration of Hotel Kyjev, surrounding residential buildings and public spaces in this part of Bratislava's city centre.
The winning design works with a single longitudinal building that completes the northern side of Špitálska Street. Its compact form creates a calm counterpoint to the prominent tower of Hotel Kyjev, a national cultural monument, while the building is slightly rotated to respond to surrounding spaces and pedestrian routes. The jury recognised the proposal's balanced proportions and the rhythm of its facade, noting that the design retains an urban character suited to a city street. Between the new building and the hotel, a pedestrian lane will be created, along with a transverse connection to the existing OD Prior arcade.
"We thank all five teams, who brought very different and considered responses to one of the most sensitive sites in central Bratislava. The winning proposal is a calm, cultivated urban building that restores the street line of Špitálska and stands as a partner to Hotel Kyjev rather than a rival. Together with the authors, we will now focus above all on the ground floor, the arcade and the space beside Kyjev, so that an open, light and lively urban environment is created," said Peter Dovala, executive director of Lordship Slovensko and a jury member representing the competition organiser.
The invited, single-round competition was verified by the Slovak Chamber of Architects under reference KA-169/2026, and five architectural teams took part. Second place went to the studio Skoček & Skoček, whose proposal divides the development into two separate buildings and was also rated highly by the jury. CHYBIK + KRISTOF, JRKVC and Kuklica Smerek + shared third to fifth place with no ranking between them.
The jury recommended that the organiser, SK Centre, a.s., open negotiations with the winning studio on further collaboration. The next step will be the elaboration of an architectural study incorporating the jury's recommendations alongside technical and regulatory requirements, with particular attention to pedestrian connectivity, the ground-floor treatment and the quality of adjacent public spaces. The jury also recommended preserving existing greenery to the greatest possible extent.
The new building on Špitálska Street forms part of the Arteria project, through which Lordship is preparing a comprehensive regeneration of the area around Kamenné námestie. The centrepiece is the reconstruction of Hotel Kyjev, which will retain its hotel function. Construction work on residential buildings on Cintorínska Street is already under way, and a revitalisation of the adjoining public space provisionally named Námestie umelcov is planned to follow. Construction of the new Špitálska building is expected to begin in 2028.
