Zlíchov Heating Plant
WS 2025
Place / Landscape:
We are on the southern edge of densely urbanized Prague. Transport infrastructure and the wilderness on the slopes of Dívčí hrady are gaining strength. It is already the periphery, but not quite. Thanks to new developments (Smíchov railway station, apartment buildings at the Zlíchov distillery, or the new Dvorecký Bridge), it is becoming part of Prague’s wider center. The site itself is clearly visible against the backdrop of the natural panorama, yet behind the barrier of the railway tracks it feels inaccessible. Even on the map it appears as an island cut off from the world – on one side by the tracks, on the other by the arterial road. But upon closer examination, we discover that this island is in fact connected, both to the north and the south, and soon also to the opposite riverbank. We begin to feel a sense of hope.
Buildings:
A complex of several interconnected halls with a transformer station and open land to the south and north. A half-timbered memory of the once-famous Prague–Duchcov railway, and thanks to a group of enthusiasts today also a technical heritage site. The railway was part of a new line from 1872, linking industrial Smíchov via the Hlubočepy viaducts to Hostivice and further northwest. Hops from Žatec, steel from Kladno, and brown coal from the Ore Mountains were transported here. The heating plant served to refill water and bring locomotives up to operating temperature. Later, Tatra Smíchov Wagon Works used it as a prototype workshop. Today, a civic association carries out repairs of historic wagons and locomotives here and organizes public events. The halls are neglected, in places on the brink of ruin.
Goals:
We see great potential for new life here. The task will be to connect the area with the living fabric of the city, to take advantage of the long-distance link Smíchov–Zlíchov–Chuchle–Radotín, to build on the synergy with the neighboring MeetFactory, and to draw on the energy of new construction.
We believe the current functional program makes sense, though its form is somewhat “punk.” We feel the need to support the effort to preserve the atmosphere and affection for the “old scrap.” We are drawn to the idea of a living museum, where visitors can peek over the shoulder of craftspeople who transform scrap into value – so that people today can understand what it means to rescue a technical monument, in this case a movable one (an experience the National Technical Museum cannot offer).
To open up more to the public, however, the program should be expanded. With what, and how? We believe this place can become one of unique atmosphere and appeal – not only for a narrow circle of enthusiasts, but offering broader amenities as well: a recreational destination for a short trip from the center, or a pleasant stop on the way out of the city. It could be supplemented with workshops, studios, exhibitions, restaurants, or residences for technicians and artists, creating a link between history and a living present.
Sustainability:
We do not demolish – we restore and add. We reflect on temporality, the meaning and purpose of protecting built heritage, the synergy of functions, and the site’s integration into the city. We search for new spaces that can provide a new framework for activities suitable and enriching for this place. The omnipresent noise we do not see as a handicap, but as a challenge and an opportunity to search for functions and forms that can thrive in this environment.
Students:
The assignment is multilayered. The landscape plays an important role in reviving a place that today feels somewhat strangled, offering it a better chance of survival. Architects seek new connections to the city (a footbridge, an overlook), new programs, and appropriate forms and spaces for them. Infrastructure complicates everything.
We prefer to work in small groups – the assignment allows for that. There are many themes to address, so each student can focus primarily on one aspect of the design, while together embedding everything into a meaningful whole. We will work in close collaboration with the landscape studio Štemberová – Jeníková – Trpkoš.