Rohan and Libeň Island, Prague

The competition – organized by the Institute of City Planning and Development (IPR Prague) – will select a team to create a concept plan for Rohan and the island of Libeň on the right bank of the Vlatava River, opposite the Czech capital’s planned £204million new concert hall. .

The 56ha site will primarily be transformed into a new flood-resistant landscaped open space, known as Parc Maniny, with accompanying urban development. Four teams will be invited to participate in a dialogue process following an open call for multidisciplinary collaborations bringing together landscape architects, architects, urban designers and at least one local firm.

Petr Hlubuček, Deputy Mayor of Prague for Environment, said: “Rohan Island is the last major development area in the city where a new large-scale park and natural feature can be created near the downtown, and at the same time we have the opportunity to implement flood protection measures.

“There is a need to link the public spaces in the area into a functional network and improve it, linking the new development to the original historic district and linking it to the river. The main objective of the new park is to bring people closer to the river. Maniny Park should be resistant to flooding and at the same time offer the inhabitants of Prague a new place for recreation and relaxation.

Located in the northeastern fringes of the capital near the rapidly regenerating neighborhoods of Karlín and Libeň – Rohan and Libeň Island is a large riverside area on the right bank of the Vlatava River which is currently used for a variety of recreational activities and features a large amount of urban wasteland. Originally two separate islands, the landmass was joined to the city following land reclamation in the 1920s.

The Maniny Park project will transform the area between the shores of Rohan and Libeň islands and a nearby bicycle path into a new floodplain open space capable of mitigating the risk of periodic rising water levels in the wider area which was devastated by floods two decades ago.

Strengthening the links of the city and its inhabitants with the river, increasing biodiversity, supporting local communities, expanding the offer have as their main objectives the competitive dialogue – which will take the form of a joint debate between all the stakeholders allowing a gradual evolution of the specifications -. of leisure activities and the creation of a new water channel.

The latest competition comes just four months after London-based firm Marko and Placemakers – working with local firms Unit Architekti and A69 Architekti – defeated five rival finalists to win a competition to remaster a 24ha strip of the capital city of Czech republic.

In November, British firms Foster + Partners and David Chipperfield Architects were named among 15 finalists in an international competition to design a £204million concert hall in Prague.

The overall winner of the Maniny Park Commission, to be announced in June 2023, will receive a €1.85 million (CZK 45 million) contract to develop the site’s landscape proposal, concept plan and project documentation.

The application deadline is May 20 at 2 p.m. local time (CEST).

How to register

Visit the contest website and view the contract notice for more information

Contact Details

Email: pfister@ipr.praha.eu