OBERMEYER HELIKA, a design and construction consultancy firm, has taken on the role of general designer and architect for the extension and extension of the Gallery Teplice shopping centre. Upon completion, Gallery Teplice will offer its visitors an even wider range of shops, services and entertainment in a modern and attractive environment. The investor of the project is DANDREET a.s.
The extension of the Gallery Teplice shopping centre is proposed in the open space in the south-eastern corner of the building. The extension fully respects the existing structure of the centre and the urban concept of the spa town development. „Our aim was to sensitively relate to the current architecture of Gallery Teplice and at the same time create a new distinctive element that will enliven the southeast corner of the building. By using innovative materials and playing with geometric shapes, we have achieved a dynamic and attractive look for the extension,“ said Roman Smida, the project’s chief engineer from OBERMEYER HELIKA.
An extension with a new entrance will complete the south-eastern corner of the centre
The extension of the shopping centre follows the original architectural concept of alternating horizontal stripes, but uses different materials. The dominant element is not only the newly created corner of the building, but also the new entrance to the shopping area. The façade above the main entrance works with the geometric shape of a triangle. Although it is a flat façade, the different shade and surface quality of the individual triangular surfaces creates a plastic impression. The material used is a high-pressure laminate of golden colour.
In the ground floor part, a glazed façade is designed, which seamlessly connects to the existing glazed façade of the centre, thus creating a uniform base for the different types of cladding materials used on the building.
Diverse facade elements with changing colour shades
The architecture of the extension follows the existing block structure, which alternates different facade materials to create a street effect. Existing areas of orange, brown and grey cladding alternate with strips of white render complemented by climbing greenery.
„The dominant element of the corner from the north side is carried over to the new south-east corner of the extension in the form of a uniform block mass. This is clad in aluminium cassettes with different surface tilts. By alternating the orientation and tilt of the cassettes, this results in a variety of reflections of the façade and alternation of colour shades. The designed façade thus has multiple faces. By changing its appearance it reacts to the weather, the time of day and the angle of view. The formats of the cassettes are larger compared to the formats used on the existing facades and correspond to the scale of the corner mass,“ explains Fionn Curran of OBERMEYER HELIKA.
The project also includes a modification of the existing northern entrance from Svoboda Square. Here, new carousel doors will be installed to replace the existing sliding door vestibule.
On the first underground floor, the current arcade will be extended and several new commercial units will be created. On the first and second floors, the extension will offer an extension of leasable retail space.
The largest conference of the development market – MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT LEADERS, organized by CEEC research, took place and we were as one of the partners by. It brought a lot of inspiration, new knowledge and valuable discussions. A number of prominent personalities met in the main hall of the Czech National Bank to discuss current topics such as the advent of the new building law, pressure on housing prices, investment in construction, mortgages and government support for more affordable housing. This conference became an important forum for leading experts from the development market to share their views, experiences and best practices that will lead to further development of the sector.
Discussions at the conference focused on a number of key topics, including the need for a new building code, strategies for coping with rising housing price pressures, and government support for more affordable housing for citizens. Participants also focused on innovative approaches to financing construction and investment in development projects in the current economic environmen
The presence of leading experts and key figures in the sector provided participants with an opportunity to network and share best practices. On our behalf, the event was attended by CEO Jiří Fousek and Jan Korbut, head of one of our civil engineering studios. We look forward to meeting again and continuing the discussion on key issues affecting the property development market in our country.
The construction works of the multi-purpose business and social centre Černý Most in Prague 14 will start in April this year. The planned redevelopment has received building permits based on the documentation prepared by Obermeyer Helika. This design and construction consultancy firm also created the documentation for the zoning decision and for the construction.
The extension will significantly expand the retail space in Centrum Černý Most. The project, implemented with an emphasis on sustainability, will bring 32 new shops and restaurants and 3 new cinemas. The Černý Most Centre will thus provide its visitors with more space for shopping and services, entertainment and relaxation. In place of the existing food court, a new Dining Plaza concept will be created with a unique design and atmosphere and a wide range of catering services, including a significant increase in the proportion of restaurants with table service. The project also includes the construction of new cinema screens for demanding audiences. These will subsequently be operated by the renowned CineStar company. The architectural design is by London-based Benoy.
The project team leader Ing. Roman Smida of Obermeyer Helika talks about the details of the project. This involved, for example, adding new cinema screens on the level of the existing rooftop car park. We gained space for additional new commercial units by demolishing the existing ceiling of the car park. We also addressed the re-roofing of the current food court space. All of these complicated designs and changes had to be accommodated within the existing structure of the building.“
In addition to the commercial aspect, the project also focuses on improving the comfort of visitors to the centre, as well as the aesthetics of the internal environment. The interior of the buildings will feature larger green areas that will offer pleasant places to relax. Wood will be the dominant element of the interior. The construction works will be carried out while the shopping centre is fully operational in order to minimise the impact on its customers.
„In keeping with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s Better Places sustainability principles and commitment, it is also a given that this project will meet all the requirements for BREEAM certification, which CČM currently meets. The project involves the use of grey water, low-carbon concrete and recycling of existing structures,“ says Ing. Jaroslav Němeček, project manager from Obermeyer Helika.
The planned extension naturally complements the two previous construction phases, the first of which began in 2000. This third phase will be completed in autumn 2025, thus de facto completing the entire Černý Most Centre, undoubtedly one of the most successful shopping centres in the Czech Republic.
The HALA OF THE YEAR ACADEMIC 2024 competition has once again shown that young talents are definitely not lacking at technical universities. This year’s edition brought many innovative designs and precisely executed models that deserve admiration.
We supported another year of the international competition CTU Hall of the Year Academician 2024. Among the winners this year were students Terezie Němcová and Ludvík Málek from the Faculty of Civil Engineering CTU, whose model won second place in the stress tests. We were impressed by its subtle construction and craftsmanship and awarded it the Special Partner Award. The students were inspired by previous years of the competition and their diligence and determination paid off. As well as using their specialist knowledge to work on the project, they also practised team communication
The HALA ROKU AKADEMIK competition is a unique opportunity for engineering students to gain valuable experience and showcase their talents. The assignment requires not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical skills and creativity. It is such challenges that help shape the future generation of civil engineers and architects.
This year’s edition clearly showed that we have a lot to look forward to. Young innovators are coming up with bold ideas and are not afraid to implement them. I am convinced that many of them will soon significantly influence the face of our cities and buildings.
We has completed and handed over the documentation for the construction of the Semerínka residential project in Prague 5 Radlice. Construction of the project has commenced and its completion, including handover, is expected in 2026. Semerínka is being built on the land of a former industrial zone, which is now being transformed into a modern multifunctional area with a predominantly residential character.
The residential project Semerínka, realized by the developer Crestyl, will offer a total of 185 flats, 216 indoor parking spaces and 11 outdoor parking spaces on a built-up area of 4300 m² . The investment in the project amounts to CZK 1.5 billion. Semerínka, designed by architect David Chmelař of Chmelař architects, represents modern architecture that will harmoniously integrate into the surrounding environment. The building, which is composed of four blocks of different heights on a common base of entrances, garages and technical spaces, sensitively respects the terrain. The individual height-differentiated blocks will allow an unobstructed view of Prague and the rich surrounding greenery, while not overshadowing the surrounding buildings. The general contractor of the building is Metrostav a.s., Division 9.
The Semerínka Residential House emphasizes the safety and comfort of future residents. Libor Stránský of Obermeyer Helika, the project manager, explains, „As the main designer of the building, we designed a comprehensive solution to ensure the thermal and hygienic comfort of the residents in accordance with the client’s requirements. All apartments have been designed with heat recovery ventilation, modern underfloor heating and windows with acoustic parameters with respect to the surrounding buildings. In addition, most of the apartments are ready for the installation of external blinds, which will increase protection from external temperature influences. It goes without saying that the heat-exposed apartments on the upper floor will already be equipped with air conditioning as a basic equipment. In order to eliminate noise inside the building, the lift shafts are conceived as a „shaft within a shaft“ and all other areas, including the staircase landings, are designed with a view to reducing footfall noise.“
„As with every project, we follow the applicable regulations and standards, so the division of the building and underground garages into fire sections equipped with electric fire alarms is a matter of course. This will control the individual fire protection elements, including the fire shutters in the garages and the forced ventilation of the protected escape routes. In the garages, operational ventilation is designed to switch to emergency ventilation mode in case of higher CO concentration,“ explains Libor Stránský.
From the point of view of the structural engineering, which was also provided by Obermeyer Helika, the upper structure on the basement is carried out by framed wall beams. The structure features atypical trapezoidal windows and rounded corners, which require careful planning of the transfer of horizontal stresses in the reinforcement. Another important factor is that the entire project, including the technology, was created in 3D. This ensures better collaboration during both the design and construction phases in coordinating all contractors.
There is not much greenery on the former industrial site at the moment, so the project tries to bring it „closer to nature“. The proposed green area is 5340 m² . Green roofs with extensive or intensive greenery are planned on the lowered part of the building, and climbing plants will be used on the rope system in front of the facades. In addition, community gardens will be created in the interior blocks, whose irrigation will be solved by using rainwater retained in four newly built retention tanks.
