The planned skyscraper promises shared living. Will mainly students and other less wealthy people enjoy the views of the capital city?
Prague will change the territorial plan so that it allows the construction of the tallest building in the Czech Republic, the Top Tower. The skyscraper is to be built near the Nové Butovice metro station. There will be shared living here. Coliving has been one of the most discussed topics of living concepts for several years now. Let's take a closer look at it.
The Prague skyscraper Top Tower, which will reach up to 125 meters, is intended by the Trigema company to be leaned against a structure depicting a shipwreck. Thanks to the publicly accessible lookout, a large part of the capital should be visible from here - from Prague Castle, through the National Theatre, Vyšehrad to Zbraslav.
Long history
But the main thing will be hidden inside. In the dominant building of the entire project there should be apartments, shops, offices or a cultural center. However, in this context it is definitely not some casual new idea. The company came up with the project eight years ago, in order to be able to introduce it to the public for the first time in 2019. It then expected that its construction, which was to cost around two billion crowns, would be completed roughly in the years 2023 to 2024. The project was designed by architect Tomáš Císař and artist David Černý, who had already collaborated closely with the company owner Marcel Soural. He himself revealed two years ago to the economic medium E15 why he is getting involved in the skyscraper at all.
"I like not only interesting ideas, but also those really crazy or seemingly impossible,"
Soural said at the time.
The capital sets conditions
It was not until September of this year that the Prague City Council voted that the project would get the green light if the investor contributed approximately 75.7 million crowns to Prague 13 and the city hall in the form of cash and public space adjustments.
"We are glad that we managed to reach an agreement with the Prague City Hall to support this unique building. Now we believe that we will realize the construction in the foreseeable future,"
Soural wrote on LinkedIn about Prague's decision.
The beauty of the concept is emphasized by the fact that it will offer shared housing for most part. The question remains how this idea will work economically.
Shared living is more flexible for residents
Co-living is usually primarily intended for the younger generation, which has a deep wallet and thus does not yet deal with their own housing. Thus, in its nature, this is mainly an addition to the broader range of housing, responding to the current needs of a generation that does not want to be tied down by a mortgage. Simply put, it targets less wealthy people under 35, such as students and so-called young professionals, who are just starting their careers. A much smaller group may be seniors who suffer from feelings of loneliness. And even those often do not belong to those who could financially afford much.
Coliving is now a phenomenon of many world metropolises, where modern buildings are emerging. Shared housing arises from a combination of privacy and shared, community zones. The building of the concept has historically been realized by both private players and self-governments. However, while 100 years ago shared spaces were usually limited to dining and household chores, the current ones emphasize providing sufficient facilities for spending leisure time. These are usually smaller units, but they do not lack, for example, a kitchen, lounge, laundry or work and wellness areas. What distinguishes coliving from institutional rental housing is then a higher contractual flexibility. So the resident, for example, often does not commit to living in the object for a long time.
Student Housing
Trigema is definitely not the only one focusing on student housing. The Zeitraum company, for example, has much richer experience with it, offering several of its residential buildings to students in the capital city.
"We are observing a fundamental change in what today's students expect from their housing. The time when only a bed and a table were enough is definitely behind us. The current generation demands modern design and top-notch equipment for study, as well as space for relaxation and social activities. All of this combined with services at the level of hotels. Whether it's around-the-clock operation of the reception, cleaning and maintenance, or security of the building,"
Zdena Noack, the director of Zeitraum Student Housing, explained to LP-Life.
The first Czechoslovak skyscraper known as the Joy House, which is located in Žižkov in Prague, will also undergo a reconstruction for the same purpose. The Siko group plans to create more than 600 small-scale apartments in the building, each of them about 23 square meters in size. The units will be primarily targeted at students of the nearby University of Economics. The project will include commercial spaces, galleries, halls, and sports facilities.
The expanding range of housing options is certainly good news for both those looking for a new home and the entire real estate market. However, only time will show to what extent these visions can be turned into reality.
Sources: author's text, own questioning, Trigema, E15, LinkedIn
