Gateways to Prague Exhibition Grounds

The jury valued the comprehensive competition proposal for the area in front of the Exhibition Grounds, taking into account all main spatial and operational aspects, fortifying the site plan with distinctive and unequivocal entrance elements, with the opportunity to integrate information areas and self-service ticket sales systems. The jury also valued the fact that the quality of time spent within the grounds would be improved in general, with groups of trees and areas with integrated water elements at sidewalk level. It does, however, consider it necessary to reduce and re-evaluate the composition of their placement within the whole. The jury was positive in its assessment of the design for sliding fences, reinforcing the uninterrupted view into the Prague Exhibition Grounds site. Fencing, however, requires a thorough checking in terms of its feasibility and economical operation. The ornamental design of the paving stones is unnecessary and inadequate in terms of the grandeur of the entranceway area. The jury judged the gateways to be right in terms of their scale and their location. The design of the inner structure and the compositional design of the placement of the information system is disproportionate. The use of one of the gateways as a viewing tower is inappropriate. The competition proposal as a whole provided a great number of interesting designs which require thorough review and thought-out detailed processing at all follow-up stages of project documentation. The jury’s fundamental remark is its recommendation to reduce the proposed elements in a thought-out manner.

The jury valued the simple and impressive design of the area in front of the Prague Exhibition Grounds, with its accent on monumentalizing the entrance site plan. The lighting elements used act as a highly-intensive sign of entering the wider context of the city, providing information about the importance of the place. More in-depth expert discussion is required on the rationale of this design, and where appropriate, on a defence of the unequivocal artistic structure with the intentional absence of advertising space within the greater context of the city, at further stages of project documentation. The sustainability of this design demands considerable discipline in the operation of Prague Exhibition Grounds. The downside of the competition proposal is the fencing plan, not well thought-out, which does not bring the existing level of added value. The competition proposal does not treat the permeability of the area in front of Prague Exhibition Grounds towards the grounds themselves. However, the competition proposal and its presentation demonstrate the considerable erudition of the designer and the expectation of a possible high-quality outcome after taking account of the jury’s remarks.