Czech architect Peter Yanda transformed four kilometers of the Vltava River embankment in the historical part of Prague, turning damp basements into multifunctional minimalist spaces. 

Ksenia Oshchepkova

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In 2002, the largest flood in the last 500 years occurred in Prague: the Vltava River rose by six to seven meters, flooding not only the embankments, but also residential areas. Fragments of the city’s embankments remained abandoned for many years, until a renovation program led by architect Peter Yanda gave them a new life. Yanda and his colleagues from Brainwork Studio radically rebuilt basements and cellars in the wall located along the embankment and created spaces where workshops, showrooms, cafes, clubs, galleries, libraries and public toilets will be located. 

The alteration affected twenty basements facing the lower part of the embankment with a length of four kilometers. The main task of the architect was to visually connect them with the space of the embankment, to make them more open and attractive to visitors. Yanda emphasized the vaulted architecture of the six tunnel-like dungeons with the help of round glass doors, which he inscribed into the original arched portals made of stone. 

The solution has become even more spectacular thanks to the rotary door opening mechanism oriented along the diagonal axis. Hobbit-like round glass doors attract attention with their size — their diameter is as much as five and a half meters, and the laconic interior with concrete walls serves as a universal background. The architect has also developed a series of practical built-in furniture with metal facades, which the tenants of the premises can adapt to their needs. 

In other parts of the embankment, Yanda supplemented the stone portals with emphatically minimalist rounded doors made of dark metal. In the interiors of spacious halls with windows, the architect also used concrete and space-distorting elements made of mirror steel. The author paid special attention to the technical stuffing of the premises. They are thoroughly insulated, protected from dampness and floods, equipped with a heating and air conditioning system. The studio plans to develop outdoor furniture, a swimming pool on the water and a terminal for river trams. 

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