Obchodní centrum Nový Smíchov

The new Nový Smíchov Shopping centre has replaced the workshops of the old Ringhoffer factory, later Tatra ČKD in Smíchov. The urbanistic design is based on building onto the existing urban layout of Smíchov, and spreads over the area of Plzeňská, Nová Radlická, Kartouzská and Štefanikova streets.

The original factory formed a closed complex the size of several blocks.The main arcade of the shopping centre complements the local street network. The diagonal arcade leading from Štefanikova Street forms a new connection across the terrace on the second floor and along the new footbridge over Kartouzska street to the top of Sacré Coeur. The extent of the project and its contents correspond to the suburban shopping centres with hypermarkets , shops, boutiques, multi-screen cinema complexes, restaurants and fast food outlets. The only difference is that this Shopping centre has been succesfully integrated into the urban structure right in the centre of Prague, together with both its negative ( heavy traffic) and positive consequences (preventing the detail and entertainment industrie from moving from the city centre into the suburbs, access to public transport and boosting the importance of the city centre).

The intention was to divide the construction area into streets with different frontages and sizes in accordance with the scale and importance of the area. The design was based on a reinforced concrete monolithic frame with the columns 12.5 x 7.5m in the underground storeys and 12.5 by 15m above ground level. The multi-screen cinema is designed on steel cylindrical sections. The centre has three underground storeys with parking for 2,500 cars and above-ground storeys with shopping arcades. The roof on the third storey is made of glass right the way along and covers 150 shops, a two-storey hypermarket and a 12-screen cinema complex.