AFI Europe has completed the first commercial building in the newly built AFI City district on a large brownfield in Prague 9 - Vysočany. The elegant AFI City 1 office tower, with a height of 75 meters, has become a new dominant feature of the rapidly developing location around the Kolbenova metro station. Behind the distinctive façade with an atypical lattice and a pearl effect, there are 17,300 m2 of modern offices, complemented by a retail unit, storage facilities and an underground car park with a capacity of more than 300 parking spaces, a bicycle shed and showers. The construction work was carried out in accordance with the principles of sustainability, so the building has already received the green pre-certification BREEAM Excellent. The project has been designed by the CMC architects studio, the general contractor of the construction was the Gemo company and the construction supervision was provided by the OM Consulting company.
"The completion of the building, which was achieved despite the current coronavirus pandemic without any complications and on time, is a significant milestone in the implementation of the entire AFI City project. The elegant high-rise building has become not only a significant landmark of Vysočany, but also a representative entrance gate to the newly built multifunctional district. Together with six apartment buildings and an extensive public park, which we have recently completed, our vision of transforming a neglected area into an attractive Prague location is gradually coming to life,” comments Doron Klein, AFI Europe Director for the Czech Republic.
The AFI City 1 building is full of interesting architectural and design elements. The main entrance from Kolbenova Street is dominated by a distinctive awning representing a steel structure suspended on rods with glazing accentuating the motif of intersecting slats. This is also reflected on the entire southern façade, which rises in height and gives the building not only a characteristic expression, but also serves as an effective shading. Upon entering the interior, there is a gear motif occupying the entire main wall of the reception hall. The work by the Czech artist Ivan Komárek recalls the industrial past of Vysočany, which is reflected in its unique genius loci. The majestic entrance hall in which it is located extends to a height of two floors. It is glazed on all sides and full of daylight. In the back of the ground floor facing the park there is 300 m2 reserved for the future restaurant, which will also offer outdoor seating.
Inside the tower are three underground floors intended for parking and storage spaces, sixteen above-ground floors offer modern office spaces. The individual floors allow a flexible arrangement from approx. 300 to 900 m2. The building is served by six high-speed elevators. At the very top there is a 150 m2 large roof terrace, which is accessible to all tenants and opens up a wide view of the surroundings, including Prague Castle. Around the tower there is a public space interwoven with sidewalks with lots of greenery, which is followed by a park completed in spring.
The office building is part of an extensive AFI City project that the developer is building on an urban brownfield with a total area of 15 hectares. The revitalization of the area allows for 150,000 m2 of office, retail and accommodation space. The common intention of the developer and the architects was to deliver an interesting design, but also to create a public space for relaxation and meetings. For this purpose, a large park with an area of 7,500 m2 with a lot of greenery, paved sidewalks, a bike path and seating areas was created in AFI City.