The Czech-Singapore Chamber of Commerce unites over 90 Czech companies with business interests in Singapore and south-east Asia. At the same time, it is a platform for the meeting of important personalities from the highest business circles in the Czech Republic and Singapore.

The city-state of Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is located on the island of the same name and has 63 adjacent isles near the southern section of the Malay Peninsula. It has a total area of 729 sq km and a population of almost 5.7 million, which represents the third highest population density in the world. The official languages are English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. The name Singapore comes from Sanskrit and means Lion City. This predisposes it to a certain extent to the position of leader in the introduction of modern technologies, dynamic construction and smart city.

We asked the President of the Czech-Singapore Chamber of Commerce, Marcel Bednář, about current relations and trade activities between the two countries.

To begin with, I must ask about the post-covid situation. How did its effects show up in Singapore?

This is a rather difficult question to begin with. Following the spread of the virus in China, many foreign companies, including German, British and Dutch, vacated the playing field. Other countries in south-east Asia have also left Singapore. The Singaporeans imposed a hard lockdown that lasted many long months.

And how did this unusual situation affect the inhabitants?

The Singaporeans are very happy to meet, either after work or for lunch. They live a much richer social life, which is more connected with work and business life, than we are used to in the Czech Republic. So, the Singaporeans were far more affected with regards to this personal level. But given the proliferation of digital and mobile technologies, as many companies in Singapore operate on this basis, this was not such a big problem for them. If they have a personal or friendly relationship with a foreign business partner from the past, distance communication works fine.

What lifestyle do Singaporeans actually promote?

They are not used to spending a lot of time at home. Most of them live in apartments, whether public or private – often in condominiums, which are complexes of luxury apartment buildings. Their housing and/or homes are not designed for them to spend time in from morning to evening, nor are they used to preparing food at home. Whether it’s lunch or dinner – they don’t cook at home. They solve this by eating in bistros, restaurants or shopping centres. There are food courts, which are covered spaces with one bistro next to another – under very strict hygienic control, so everything is fine in this respect. Therefore, they have the opportunity to eat in this way within the immediate vicinity of their homes. It is very cheap and they can choose from an inexhaustible number of stands – where quality and hygiene are guaranteed. This is their usual lifestyle. With the arrival of covid, they had to lock themselves in their homes and their lives changed dramatically.

The issue of housing and its availability has recently been dramatized in the Czech Republic. What is the situation in Singapore?

The housing situation in Singapore is divided into about 80% of state-owned apartments and 20% of private apartments. The Singaporean government invests huge sums of money in the construction of state housing and housing support. This is actually a historical matter because, in times of the ‘founding father’ Lee Kuan Yew, who was the head of the People’s Action Party (PAP), it was decided in the past that Singapore’s perspective lies in the middle class with guaranteed quality housing, which is the basis for future economic success and prosperity. They have invested heavily through the statutory board, the Housing & Development Board (HDB), in the construction of state-owned housing for which Singaporeans may qualify under certain conditions. The 20% of private apartments is another matter, which is often dealt with in the form of condominiums.

What is life in a Singapore condominium like?

This variant of housing is of a very high level, where you have several high-rise buildings, such as twelve-storey ones, and there are several residential units on each floor. Five such high-rise buildings, for instance, form an enclosed complex with security service and building management, which takes very good care of the area. Each time you enter the building, you need to identify yourself with a chip card. Inhabitants are provided with a full service there, in fact they are taken care as in a five-star hotel. The basic principle is that everyone who lives in these apartments feels like being in a hotel or on holiday. You do not only have an apartment there but it also includes a shared swimming pool, a terrace with barbecue facilities and spaces where social events are regularly held with programmes for both adults and children. Sports activities are provided by tennis and squash courts, table tennis tables, a gym – all this is part of the housing and a matter of course. Condominiums also deal with parking. There are large garages in the underground so that cars do not park on the street.

A recently released information states that there are new apartments to be built in the Tengah district of Singapore.

But this is a slightly different type of housing than the aforementioned condominiums. The Tengah project is being implemented by the state agency HDB through which the Singapore government supports construction of state housing. And as for the Tengah district, it is a prime example of a smart city, or let’s say a smart district in Singapore, of which there are currently several. For instance, it is the Punggol District and the campus of the National Technology University of Singapore. These are actually three smart cities in the middle of Singapore. In fact, two smart cities and one smart university campus, which also ranks among smart cities.

What will make the Tengah district unique?

Tengah is to be a model smart city with the construction of 42,000 apartments, where not only waste collection will be integrated with new digital technologies with the Internet of Things, such as smart bins, which will respond not only to waste filling, but also in case of fire, will be automatically extinguished. At the same time, sensors in the smart district will also respond to odours that irritate the neighbourhood. Information is passed through the application to the appropriate employees who are closest, so that they can resolve the situation immediately. However, Tengah is not just about waste management, but about a number of digital elements that are implemented in residents’ lives.

What is actually the vision of a smart city in Singapore?

The vision is that the surface will be pure green. That means buildings, greenery and pedestrian zones. In other words, only people will move on the earth’s surface. Car traffic will be one floor below the surface, including buses, and the underground below all that. All traffic will be underground only, which is also demonstrated on the visualization of Tengah. This vision is promoted not only by HDB, but many Singaporean companies that are also involved in the project, such as ST Engineering, which participate in the smart transport system.

Is it possible to compare the duration of the project realization in our country and in Singapore?

I can’t compare it totally but Singapore is experiencing a huge construction boom. Something is always being built there and everything is moving forward very quickly. What is common is that a skyscraper is functionally and energetically obsolete and outdated after 30–35 years, so, they tear it down and then build a new one in its place. That shows that, compared to us, they are not afraid to take radical steps. Of course, it also has a darker side. That is why Singapore is a city of skyscrapers and, with few exceptions, beautiful historic buildings, which you can find in abundance in the Czech Republic, are missing here. So, as we Czechs like to go for what we don’t have at home, i.e., somewhere under a palm tree to the seaside, the Singaporeans like to come and see castles, chateaus and historic buildings. So, state-of-the-art skyscrapers cannot be considered an unconditional advantage.

What future does the Czech-Singapore Chamber of Commerce plan? 

Our goal is to reach the level of trade and investment with Czech-Japanese or Czech-Korean relations, for example. We are not at that level yet, so there is room for improvement. These are our ambitions. And I hope that the reopening of the Czech Embassy in Singapore will help us to do just that. The embassy in Singapore will be opened during September by Ambassador Michaela Froňková, who, thanks to her experience in demanding territories, belongs to the top branch of the Czech diplomatic service. What we expect from the establishment of the embassy is a new era of Czech-Singaporean relations and we hope that this will, with regards to Singaporean companies and partners, also represent yet another positive signal, which will revive trade relations even more.

That is one of the goals. What are the others?

It would be nice if the Republic of Singapore opened an embassy in Prague. This can represent another big step that would be very helpful to Czech business.

Is it possible to specifically present the successes of Czech companies in Singapore?

There are things that are visible to Singaporeans. An example can be found at Singapore’s Changi Airport: beautiful design installations from Lasvit, which are passed daily by a large number of people. Another company works on the desalination of seawater and thus helps local water management – their activities are highly appreciated on the Singaporean side. Similarly prestigious are smart sensors from a Czech company, which are installed on the Singapore Formula 1 circuit. Another Czech company successfully supplies smart medical beds to Singapore hospitals and medical facilities. So, the range of fields is wide, not to mention traditional brands such as Baťa. And as the Singaporeans associate Bata with childhood or adolescence, every Singaporean who is now 50+ wore Baťa shoes. A bit of a problem is that they think it is an Indonesian or Indian brand and there is no longer a direct link to the Czech Republic. It is similar with Škoda cars, because in their opinion it is a German car. Unfortunately, they often have no idea that it is manufactured in our country. And that is actually work for Czech institutions and the Czech-Singapore Chamber of Commerce to make this connection in the minds of the Singaporeans. And to show that the Czech Republic can offer not only these traditional brands, but that there are also other companies that can offer interesting technologies or products to use or for trade.

In which fields do you see opportunities?

There are many of them. We mentioned, for instance, smart cities and the Internet of Things, which are industries in which Singaporeans invest a large amount of money and where the Singapore government very generously supports domestic companies and their further expansion. Then there is fintech. Singapore is an Asian financial centre that provides facilities for fintech companies and banks, so business with finance and the application of technology in finance is large. Then there are various health and medical technologies, biotechnologies, i.e., fields in which Czech companies have great opportunities. And also, IT and the digital industry including progressive segments such as robotics, artificial intelligence, etc. Singaporeans are looking for prime solutions in these fields and I am convinced that they can find them in many Czech companies.

The chamber was active in the field of education, seminars and conferences. Will you continue this trend? 

We certainly want to continue educational events for the benefit of Czech companies and to do so in the form of business and entrepreneurial conferences. Our aim is to pass on information about interesting business opportunities in Singapore to Czech companies, ideally with the participation of guests from the fields of politics and business. Furthermore, we want to organize networking events for the members of the chamber, because we perceive that social life has been subdued for several months, so, we want to make it up to them. The Czech-Singapore Chamber of Commerce is not only about a bilateral trade relationship, but we also try to be a management club in which participants can share not only their experiences, contacts and information, but also negotiate deals with each other. Such social forcefulness of the chamber is very important to us.

Arnošt Wagner / Photo: archive, depositphotos and pixabay

It is always interesting to watch real estate markets across continents. Each market has its own specifics given the climate, the economic situation of the country, modern local trends, culture and many other aspects. And, of course, the winning idea and design also play a role in the final implementation.

Schools and related buildings are a very specific sponsorship of the real estate market. And even here it is true that each country, and therefore the continent to an even greater extent, has its specific requirements. Development News magazine has been a regular media partner of the prestigious competition Building of the Year in the category of the Foreign Construction of the Year. One of this year’s nominated projects is Bogle Architects’ the Royal Grammar School Guildford in Dubai, UAE. The founder of the company, Ian Bogle, introduced this project to us.

This is not the first time you took  part in Building of the Year. How do you perceive this competition compared to other events you participate in around the world?

As an international firm, we like to showcase our projects in both local and international awards. We’ve taken part, and won, in the Building of the Year before, so we like to think we have a good chance of winning again in this prestigious competition. We have won several international awards over the last nine years, since we started the practice, but it’s always rewarding to be recognized locally for our international work.

You received the nomination for the school project in Dubai. In general, what are the current requirements of investors for this type of construction?

The international school market, while competitive, is still a growing market therefore the investors are looking for a point of differentiation. In this instance, we were tasked with not only applying the needs of a normal school
curriculum but also adding features/motifs from the 500-year-old parent school in Guildford but also designing a sustainable solution for this particular climate. The large diagonal roof harks back to the historical leaded windows of the chained library at the Guildford school. Another interesting feature of the building is the local (KHDA – Knowledge and Human Development Association) guidance that requires all children up to the age of six to have their main classroom located on the ground floor. Due to the capacity of the school (more  than 2,000 students) it dictated the overall length of the building which if it were turned on its end it would be three-storeys taller than the Gherkin in London which I worked on while at Foster many years back.

Are there any special systems or materials used on this construction site?

We designed the building to be ‘self-shading’ given the climate and as such a cantilevering concrete frame was used to provide this shading. This means that all the classrooms are not directly exposed to the Dubai sunshine allowing for a reduction in the building’s overall cooling loads which goes someway, when offset against the photovoltaic systems utilized on site, to create a net zero solution. The resulting internal atrium creates a more contained space for the younger children at the ground floor opening up to the oldest, 6^th form young adults, on the top floor. The atrium is 50% covered with an ETFE roof to allow for natural light to penetrate deep into the space below – a solution we also used on the Early Learning Village in Singapore which was lucky enough to win this award previously.

How does the assignment for an investor for such a project in the UAE differ from, for example, in Europe?

The main difference is the United Arab Emirates climate which is very different to the European climate where temperatures range from 22 °C in the winter to way over 40 °C in the height of summer. We knew we had to design an environmentally progressive solution so this had a major impact on the design as described above. There are other micro economic issues particular to the local market that also need to be considered in the school offering for Dubai, e.g., we had a very long debate about whether the swimming pools should be internal or external. We ultimately, collectively, decided on a covered external solution that was partially shaded by deep precast concrete panels, giving a dappled light effect, but also allowing for natural cross ventilation.

What did the investor place the main emphasis on in the school project? What was your main concern?

The investor is a global school provider hence the main emphasis on the school project – they have 85 school in 11 countries around the world but this was their first project in the Middle East so we had to make a statement with not only the building but also the educational offer which drove a number of the design decisions. Our challenge was to marry the principles of the 500-year old school at Guildford in the United Kingdom, alongside the requirements of the KHDA in Dubai in the UAE climate. The resultant development is a paragon in both the educational offer but also a step change in the design of K-12 educational environments. We also wanted to make the building like an ‘oasis in the desert’ hence why we have a great deal of green walls and living trees within the internal atriums which also help to the wellbeing of pupils and staff in the learning environment.

If you would have to find five words to characterize this project, which ones would you have chosen?

In terms of the design, we’d say it’s progressive, innovative, welcoming, intuitive and green.

You are working on a whole range of different projects. What prevails after a pandemic?

Yes, we’ve been approached to work on a number of new projects both locally and internationally throughout the pandemic but it has certainly been a challenging period. The interesting part is that we have looked at new projects in locations without actually physically visiting the site which goes against our golden rule of always visiting the location to understand the ‘feel’ of a place and not just the urban, rural or coastal context. This obviously couldn’t be helped because of the travel restrictions imposed by the various governments in response to the Pandemic but it does show that a more digital solution can work almost as well – but we will start visiting these locations again as it is so important to the quality of the resultant design.

What beautiful buildings can we look forward to from your studio in Prague?

We’ve recently completed the commercial office component of our Astrid project in P7 and the SOLID 21 laboratory project opened officially on 22^nd September in P8. We also have a number of projects on the go that will soon be being constructed in and around Prague in the commercial, residential, education and leisure sectors – watch this space!

Kristina Vacková / photo: Bogle Architects/Chris Goldstraw

“Investments in public space are really exceptional in the case of our Hagibor project. Both office tenants and residents will be surprised.”

These are the words of Simon Johnson, Chief Operating Officer of the development company Crestyl.

Complex projects that combine multiple functions have become a hallmark of Crestyl. Why are you embarking on the transformation of entire territories areas?

We can urbanize the whole area, which will allow us to produce a project with trully added value. The synergy of housing, work and trade increases the value of real estate over the longer period because a particular area functions as a single homogeneous unit – the area lives all day long; it is not an empty space during day or evening. Shops have better sales, residents have a better infrastructure, people from offices a live and non-sterile place to work. The combination of residential housing coupled with a large office unit will enable investments in the surroundings to such an extent and quality that cannot otherwise be achieved. We at Crestyl are very demanding of ourselves regarding the appearance of public space and its quality. Thanks to specialists in various areas of development, we have an overall command of all its disciplines in our company and therefore we focus on projects where we can make full use of our abilities.

How did you commence transforming entire territories? What was the impulse?

It all started when we bought a project for offices in Libeň, Prague, and subsequently also the developer who owned land for residential development there. This is how today’s DOCK project was created around the blind branches of the Vltava River. And it is thanks to the combination of offices and housing that we were, for instance, able to clean and revitalize water areas there and build a park and footbridge. And now we can once again afford the project of a wooded public space in Hagibor, designed by Michel Desvigne, the world‘s most sought-after landscape architect today.

What will the public space in the Hagibor project actually look like?

The location of Prague’s Hagibor, which directly connects to Vinohradská Street, is absolutely unique and we envisage a tremendous future there. After DOCK, this is our next important project, which utilizes the symbiosis of housing, offices, shops and services in one place. That is also why we dealt with the concept of the total district carefully and together with the architects we placed a huge emphasis on public space. Michel Desvigne combined everything into one harmonious complex, which combines outdoor space with the needs of future residents and office tenants. Greenery there connects and at the same time separates office and living areas and removes the difference between a pavement and a lawn. We plan to plant up to 2,000 trees there, which will bestow the public area with fragmentation, increase its aesthetics and improve the climate inside and outside the buildings.

What will be part of the Hagibor project?

Within the Hagibor project there are gradually being constructed five residential houses with a total of 650 apartments together with six administrative buildings, which will offer a total of approximately 80,000 sq m of leasable area. A square and central pedestrian boulevard, which will lead from the underground exit, will connect everything with shops and restaurants. Two housing blocks are already nearing completion; construction of the third will begin this year.

And what about the offices? Are they already under construction?

We will soon commence the construction of the first stage, which is, in addition to Crestyl, also participated on by EP Real Estate. In order to commence the construction of such a large project, we considered it good to unite with another entity, which can also bring in a large range of companies as potential tenants. This first stage includes two buildings on Vinohradská Street, which will offer 31,000 sq m of rental premises – more than 28,000 sq m of offices and 3,000 sq m for shops and services. On the ground floors of the buildings, there will be premises for shops, restaurants and services, where the upper floors will offer high standard offices, which include large terraces on receding floors offering views of Prague. The first confirmed tenant is the Czech News Centre media house, which will occupy almost 9,000 sq m of offices and move their headquarters there. By the way, they were particularly attracted by the attractive architectural design and the high technical standard of the building, together with the location adjacent to Vinohradská Street near the underground station.

You have mentioned architectural design. Who is actually behind the Hagibor project?

Two international architectural studios have joined forces for the Hagibor project – Bogle Architects and Ian Bryan Architects (IBA), which have created an airy and bright space that will make any house stand out and offer a balanced combination of design and functionality. The author of the administrative part of the Hagibor project and at the same time the overall urban design of the location are Bogle Architects led by Ian Bogle. He, for instance, participated in the iconic Swiss Re Tower in London, nicknamed ‘Gherkin’. And as I have already mentioned, we have also involved the world-famous landscape architect Michel Desvigne. He deals with large public spaces that form a quarter of the entire area. Michael Desvigne is the author of urban solutions, public areas and parks throughout the world, for instance in Paris, Tokyo and Detroit.

What other interesting projects can we look forward to besides Hagibor?

We are preparing an extensive Savarin project in the centre of Prague. It is located right next to Wenceslas Square, Prague, which it will, with reference to the tradition of Wenceslas passages, connect with Na Příkopě, Jindřišská and Panská Streets. It includes a thorough reconstruction of existing historic buildings and the creation of a completely new public area with greenery and open space in the courtyard. Its shape and form was designed by the icon of contemporary world architecture and design, Thomas Heatherwick and his studio. And as for projects outside of Prague, we are launching a completely new multifunctional project in the centre of Brno, which will be built on the site of the current Tesco Dornych building, where we will construct four administrative buildings in addition to retail area, a hotel and apartments. We are also preparing a very interesting residential project in an attractive Prague location, as well as many others. But it is still too early for details. Just wait for it to happen.

PR

PSN has been operating in the Czech real estate market since 1991 – originally as Prague Real Estate Administration.

The rebranding took place in 2019. The PSN portfolio includes Prague’s architectural gems such as the Dancing House, the Fashion House, the Dlážděná Palace, Kotva and the exceptional Vanguard Prague project. Štěpán Smrčka, PSN Development Director, introduced us to the company’s activities.

Can you introduce PSN to us in more detail?

We have been through an incredible 30 years, similarly to other Czech family businesses that were established in the early 1990’s. This year, we celebrate a round-figure jubilee and thanks to iconic real estate, which, since last year, also includes City Empiria, we have reached a stage where we are still a medium-size family business, but the size of projects has shifted significantly. We find that what we grew up on, i.e. the typical block of flats for reconstruction in Prague 2, 3 or 5, can no longer be our only key business. Nevertheless, we can do it, we enjoy doing it, so we will continue to do so, but we have to include ever larger projects in our portfolio. It is a nice tax for success, for all those 30 years of work. The company is undergoing a certain evolution within the team and project management. We are moving from the reconstruction of housing blocks to new buildings and large multifunctional complexes that combine offices, apartments, etc.

What should I imagine under the term ‘medium-size family business’? How many people do you employ?

There are about a hundred of us, we have our headquarters in Prague and a branch in Pardubice. The entire team focuses on all segments of the real estate market – from acquisitions and development through leasing and sales, including administration and everything related to support activities. We are basically constantly looking for quality colleagues. So, within the mentioned evolution, we are still recruiting people, a priori into project management and implementation, within the development of new buildings and growth of the company.

How do you respond to the current situation in the housing market?

I do not want to repeat the same thing that most developers say to the media – approval processes, prices of building materials, work, housing prices, etc. As developers, we are not a priori happy that apartments are expensive, nor do our margins change dramatically over time. The answer lies in the length and complexity of the whole preparation process. As the investment in projects increases significantly due to the length of processes, it means that margins remain at a similar level. Of course, we are glad that there is interest in real estate and housing. It is a safe haven in these turbulent times, when a lot of money is being printed and high inflation is expected. But we are really not happy that fewer apartments are permitted every year and fewer of them are put up for sale.

Is rental housing the solution?

It is the market’s response to what is happening. Of course, if the amount of money you have to invest in your first property already exceeds a certain level – as well as the interest rate – it will force you to rent. I think going to rent is no shame at all. But in our region, renting has always been seen as a bit inferior and everyone had to have their own apartment. Compared to Western Europe, much fewer people in our country live in rental accommodation, so there is room to make up for it a bit. From a user’s point of view, rental housing represents a solution to the situation in the real estate market; on the other hand, it must be said that due to Covid and the restriction of a certain volume of airbnb services in Prague, rents are not growing as fast as the value of real estate. But when the situation calms down, it may change again. We – as a family development company – keep an interesting part of the real estate under our own management and create a portfolio of hundreds of apartments for rent. We would like to keep and manage them in the long term.

Does this mean that you will not outsource the administration, but will manage it with your own employees?

Due to our long experience with property management and the fact that we already have several dozen buildings and hundreds of apartments in our portfolio, we have our knowledge and an experienced team of people. They are part of the ‘family’, everything works and fits together. So, renting and administration will mostly remain under our control.

How do you perceive the establishment of the Prague Development Company?

I think that only time will tell what it will bring. It is very important that it is run by an experienced person, which I believe is happening, and that it is backed by an experienced team. There is no need to explain at length that development is becoming more and more complex, longer and more demanding on quality staff. What they are trying to build here is quite common in the West, it has its history and culture. My only fear is that similar attempts ‘outside the market’ never turn out very well in our country. On the one hand, I keep my fingers crossed, but it is clear to me that it will be a very difficult process and only time will tell whether they can do it, but mainly whether they will receive political support. It is a job for 5–10 years before it ‘catches on’, which is very difficult with a four-year political cycle. It will be a demanding discipline and I am sincerely curious about it.

What is your opinion on the new building law?

I will not go into details, the effort is appreciated. It didn’t surprise me that it was eventually politically adjusted to a certain hybrid. But the approved principles are at least a step in the right direction. As far as legislation is concerned, there is a lot of discussion held about the deadlines, reactions and responsibilities of individual officials. I think that we will fight here indefinitely for simplification and greater transparency and, above all, predictability of legislation. It is okay to define a long-term vision for the territory in which you live or manage together with people and self-government but the process of land or construction management itself should be a brisk formal verification of the intention within the standards. It is not a problem for the developer to have a limit somewhere. What represents a problem for him is that a possible construction limit does not change over time nor is not politically valid. Then he discovers during the process that there are other limits besides what is written. I think this is the most difficult thing in business – investing money with a vision of 5–10 years and only then finding out what can actually be done… This is the worst thing for any investor and is naturally reflected in the length of processes, rising of project prices and in the end even in the price of the product itself.

Can you highlight some of your projects?

There were two most visible projects we have implemented in recent years. The first one was the Dlážděná Palace, which is luxury residential housing in the centre of Prague, in a really complex area, with an investment of over CZK 200 million in a very luxurious segment. Despite minor pains along the way, I think, that in cooperation with conservationists and architects, we have completed a product that clients rate as excellent. The second such flagship product is Vanguard – a conversion of a former industrial factory hall built vertically in Modřany, Prague. Here we are preparing a really exceptional loft housing project. You will be able to take your darling to your apartment by elevator – by the darling meaning a car or motorcycle. It is a very demanding project in the order of hundreds of millions of crowns. In addition to a total of twenty-five projects, we have two other absolutely exceptional projects in the preparation phase. It is Vinohradská 8, which is the former Transgas that we have recently bought from HB Reavis. It is a turning point for us – 20,000 sq m of apartments, offices and shops in a unique place. HB Reavis originally planned only offices. As a residential developer, we would like the majority to include apartments, and offices to remain on a smaller scale. The second project is in Vršovická Street – an industrial complex of Koh-i-noor, where we plan to build 500–550 apartments. These complex projects go hand in hand with the evolution of the company that I have previously mentioned.

Arnošt Wagner / Photo: PSN Archive

Václav Hlaváček is a relatively frequent guest on the Development News website. He mostly appears here as an architect and urban planner. But the scope of his activities is far wider…

In 1993, he founded Studio acht in Prague, which now employs 60 people and has branches in Brno and Olomouc. Other offices and associates operate in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Curaçao in the Dutch Antilles and in New York. He says: “Today, the words like developer or corporate are an offensive term of abuse for a lot of young people. But when someone opens a pub and is successful, expands the business to 20 pubs, is it also corporate? A service to society needs a certain amount of strength.”

How am I supposed to understand that?

An individual approach to art is a given thing. There is a mainstream to which most adapt. But why? I like opera, but to make a living, I’ll sing pop. No way! The goal, on the other hand, is to learn the craft by simply continuing to promote my vision of what is good quality and what is not.

Aesthetics is a gift. What are some examples from the past?

I may surprise you, but I will jump 10,000–15,000 years to the past. Even then, people changed the image of the landscape through their agricultural activities without realizing it. And such crop plants as hornbeam, fir or beech are modern crops, which were have been introduced for some reason. So, the human element of the environment changed but did not have the strength to destroy it. It just modified it and thus cultivated it.

Other historical examples of aesthetics?

Something similar was happening in Great Moravia, for instance. There has been further progress, but not in the sense that people just destroy. There was an artist or craftsman sitting there and he made gold earrings, buttons, etc. Your heart will stop when you look at them. So, from today’s point of view, an undeveloped society is set next to a complete aesthetic peak.

What does it mean?

This means that the best artists were always individual forces who were well aware that they had a gift, a talent. How they worked with it and how they became integrated into that society was determined by what they did. Whether it was a glassmaker, artist, graphic artist, painter or architect. Of course, an architect has more resources, but it is all the more dangerous because architecture has more scope and power to change. Talent needs to be cultivated and cared for. To say: Come, don’t worry, you have nowhere to fall, go ahead. Artists have always had sponsors, even if they were called differently – a benefactor, philanthropist, patron, donor… Rilke had his sponsors. The same did the artists, such as Cézanne. Baťa, on the other hand, had his architects. So, it’s nothing new or bad. On the contrary, it is a means of confronting that pure talent with thousands of obstacles. If you have a one-hundred-member architectural studio, barely a tenth of them will be able to work something out of something, even if you have the best people there. The huge responsibility to enter the landscape and create some formation there, to go to reconstruction or monuments, to invent, for instance, individual housing, it doesn’t matter what. To make something out of nothing is very important and difficult. And that’s actually the beginning. And this is the reason why the Dutch respect landscapers because they have to create the landscape artificially. And because they create it artificially, they know well that the sea is a very large obstacle, a difficult opponent. They reshape their country with respect and a great deal of courage.

And is it different in our country?

We still sort of don’t care. We still have the orchard architect who will ‘somehow finish it’. And the artist in the same position: “After all, we will do it somehow well, and something might fit in here as well.” That is why I think that artistic perception should be evident in the approach from the very beginning and that we should not be afraid of leaving the most progressive younger people who mean it honestly. To give them some room some space. We have to admit to ourselves that it will cost money, but we as a company have the courage to stand behind it. Maybe it won’t work out sometimes. It is the same as the Kaplický’s Library. I was terribly saddened that the society-wide hysterical discussion took place over a picture in the newspaper. It totally strikes me that Prague has not found the courage to implement it. And since then, I do not believe that Prague will be a progressive city for the next 200 years. It’s just that the power isn’t there…

In the case of some buildings, the architect not only participated in their architectural form, but also created design down to the last detail – handles, hitches and even tea spoons…

I think that such actions should arise. You have to make time for them and get a little wrapped by the fact of being able to afford it. Not only as an investor, but also as an architect. Because that’s priceless today. I prefer that everything will be adjusted to the last detail in some publicly accessible building rather than in one individual villa – that there will be quality applied art. And I’m not a Marxist! But I think it’s important that the right art reaches all – or as many people as possible. To make a nice bus stop, railings, to use the correct shapes and colours. Cultivating society is much more important to me than whether someone gives me space before doing an interior down to the last detail. You will try this once, and not that I would not enjoy it, but you will find that there are more important things when it comes to cultivating the whole society. The artist has the gift of perceiving harmony within himself. He perceives several things at once. Someone is a greater technician or a greater philosopher. But artists, the right ones, are like mushrooms. They just absorb everything and are inspired – of course by nature, but also by society. They feel it.

And people will go aaahhhh…

Nine out of ten people will say that because they very quickly realise that someone said it half a second earlier. That kind of fascination is also a task of art, but it needs to be further explained or tried. In other words, great wealth should be invested in artistic yeast – albeit with a great deal of risk!

Today, buildings are mostly being built quickly to make money as soon as possible. How can art be crammed into that quick time?

Either it is ‘it’, even if it is put together hastily. A typical example is Renzo Piano, an absolutely fragile architect. He already has the art contained in that fragility. That’s is the brilliance about him. In order to be able to influence more developers and more projects at once – of course it’s different in industry and different in housing construction – you have to master the craft. This means that, for instance, in a residential project, every developer will tell you: “Well, you will build up to whatever number of square metres and you have to fit into this price. Because we sell it, and you know that, because you have redone it 20 times. But you have the confidence…” So, you can work with it as a cup with a handle that one can hold onto, coffee doesn’t spill out of it, etc. So, the craft, the skill, the fact that you know it, you know the numbers and you know how to make an administrative building, industrial hall, housing… You just have to have it tested. It’s like playing the violin – you have to practice daily. Otherwise, you cannot pass it on. You can’t become a virtuoso by just talking about it. This means that the studio must be constantly trained, it must continue in fermentation and it must still produce craft. The violinist has to practice the violin, sometimes take part in a concert, sometimes is applauded – and sometimes simply doesn’t succeed.

Which building caught your eye, even though it didn’t have a bombastic advertising campaign?

That’s a good question. But when it comes to little things or detail, what makes me very happy, for instance, is: the restoration of vineyards in Prague – Troja. It looks like a trifle, but it’s like if Troja was reborn. Just beautiful!

Arnošt Wagner / Photo: Studio acht