The office building in the very centre of Prague, Masaryčka, which bears the personal handwriting of the world-famous architect Zaha Hadid, has been duly approved. The new building, which was built by Penta Real Estate, is now being occupied by its first tenants.
"We have come a very long way. It took more than six years to publicly discuss all the comments on the construction and transformation of the surroundings of Masaryk Station. The construction itself took more than 2 years. Prague is getting a world-class building, both in terms of quality architecture, technical design, and sustainability," said Petr Palička, Director of Penta Real Estate for the Czech Republic.
The building has attracted public attention since the first designs from Zaha Hadid's pen. It was completely different from ordinary office buildings with its bold golden façade, organic architecture, as well as generous public spaces around the building. Masaryčka is built to the highest energy performance standard for buildings - LEED Platinum. This certification assesses the impact on the surrounding area, water and energy consumption, materials used, indoor environmental quality, and the user qualities required to work efficiently.
The entire building and its immediate surroundings have an extensive water retention system that will serve to irrigate a large amount of greenery on the roofs and terraces of both buildings, including the new tree planting in Na Florenci Street. The site already has the most greenery in the last 100 years. In order for the retention system to be fully constructed, a general reconstruction of Na Florenci Street was necessary, including the relocation of the networks to the new collector. The Masarycka building and its surroundings will also be complemented by a series of art installations.
The majority of the building therefore found its tenants long before completion. In addition to Penta Real Estate itself, it will also be the headquarters of Fio Bank, Veolia, and BCG (Boston Consulting Group). A number of restaurants and cafés will be gradually opening on the ground floor of the building. The New York Times recently ranked the building as one of the attractive tourist destinations that visitors to Prague should not miss.
