J&T Finance Group Headquarters, Prague Offices, Czech Republic Real Estate, Building Photos, Architecture

J&T Finance Group Headquarters in Prague

10 Apr 2021

Design: CMC architects

Location: Sokolovská 700/113a, Prague 8 – Karlín, Czech Republic

Photos by BoysPlayNice

J&T Finance Group HQ Prague Offices

Setting apart the new J&T Finance Group Headquarters from the neighbouring buildings is its appearance – inside and out.

The world of finance is made up of various elements that need to function and fit together flawlessly. The unbroken pattern of the façade mirrors this world.

The design of the façade is a juxtaposition of technological rationality and irregularity – an approach inspired by the works of important abstract painters and sculptors. The clear right angles are also repeated in the general layout of the interior. The original graphic design of the directional signs inside the building underscore this orthogonality. The design of the font and symbols as well as the linear geometry of the lighting are based on the façade’s distinct, graphic pattern.

COMFORT FOR ALL
When designing the interior, the day-to-day comfort of the users – customers and clients – was a priority. The design concept was preceded by a survey that gave employees the chance to say what they felt was missing and what they wanted from their workplace. One of their main wishes was ample and suitable space for formal and information meetings: they spend a lot of time at work and need to feel good there. The whole space was thus designed more like a living space than an office space.

A PLACE TO MEET AND RELAX
The offices on all floors communicate with the façade to allow light to enter the space. They space is divided up by glass partitions. If employees need more privacy, they can draw curtains. Each floor also has a mix of work and relaxation zones where employees can enjoy a coffee or hold a quick meeting.

In addition to standard office floors, the building houses the spacious Work Café, which cuts diagonally across the entire fifth floor. It boasts fully equipped kitchens and refrigerated display cases as well as a study space, enclosed lecture hall and central presentation space, which can be flexibly modified to suit the number of participants and purpose of the event. Besides having coffee and dining tables available to them, employees can also relax on comfortable sofas or in secluded spaces, where they can meet each other or enjoy absolute privacy.

A roof garden, with a beautiful view of the city centre and Prague castle, has been created for both work and relaxation. It is also fully equipped for work and fun. In addition to Wi-Fi and diverse seating options, there are also catering facilities.

Employees also have access to a private fitness centre and bike storage facilities with lockers and showers. The building also houses spacious garages with charging stations for electric cars.

ART-FILLED BUILDING
The appearance of this distinctive and powerful building emphasises the investor’s relationship to one of its most important areas of interest: art. This has given the designers the opportunity to use organic shapes and forms in the interior to provide a contrast to the rigid shapes on the façade.

The entrance hall is dominated by a 20-metre long light made from Czech crystal. This work of art entitled Stellar Dust is one of the biggest contemporary light installations in the country. The 726 crystal drops – designed by the architects and made by the Bomma glassworks in Sveltá nad Sazavou – are suspended in a wave pattern off a wooden wave-like structure. Both the glass and the wood elements of the installation have been designed using unique parametric definitions. Whereas Stellar Dust stems from the spatial relationships in the lobby, the curved ceiling in the café, which connects freely to the entrance hall, is the algorithmic transposition of the geometry of a woman’s body.

The delicate and rounded artistic installations found in Work Café divide the interior space up and create secluded seating areas. A mural by Michal Škapa covers one of the café walls.

The Magnus Art gallery, housed in the building and open to the general public, is proof that art is part of the bank’s life. The gallery serves to present the private collections of Czech and Slovak collectors. The first exhibition was of the bank’s own collection, which includes the works of all the past winners of the Jindřich Chalupecky prize over the 30 years of its existence.

Furthermore, the works of talented art students and contemporary Czech artists adorn all floors of this eight-storey building.

LINK TO THE SURROUNDINGS
The gallery is not the only space open to the public. One of the aims of the project was to eschew the idea of a closed-off banking world and instead link the building to city life and integrate it into the existing urban structure. The Café Rustonka restaurant and café is thus an integral part of the building and offers a novel, architecturally interesting space for private and business meetings.

About studio
CMC architects is an international, 25-person studio of environmental design, urbanism and architecture, based in Prague, Czech Republic. CMC’s work includes a successful, award-winning seventeen-year history in holistic design of many types of projects in various scales and levels of complexity. The studio has worked in twelve different cities in seven countries, including the Czech Republic, Germany, Montenegro, Romania, the United States, the Ukraine and Viet Nam.

CMC is a unique and carefully assembled team, which has collaborated internationally with world-renowned engineers, artists and architects. CMC worked with Ateliers Jean Nouvel from France, Gehry Partners and ASYMPTOTE, from the United States, MVRDV, from Holland, and, ARUP, from the UK. This international and world-class exposure has created a wealth of experience and greatly expanded CMC’s knowledge-base for design. Partners David R. Chisholm and Vit Maslo combine for over 40 years of professional practice, and are ecological designers of sustainable projects and environments.

David Chisholm and Vit Maslo are involved in academic development now for over ten years, serving as sponsors, teachers and guest critics at the ARCHIP School of Architecture, the Czech technical faculties in Prague and Liberec. CMC partners Chisholm and Maslo were also nominated to the Czech Academy of Architecture in 2008, and, were made Founding Members of the Czech Green Building Council (CZGBC) in 2009. CMC supports the DOX Gallery of Contemporary Art, the reSITE Festival of Urban Design, and, the FOTOSFERA photography festival held yearly in Prague.

CMC philosophy holds that giving to education, to art and to the community are all investments in the future of the built environment and the dynamic of change.

J&T Finance Group Headquarters in Prague, the Czech Republic – Building Information

Architects: CMC architects

Author: Vít Máslo
David Richard Chisholm
Design team: Evžen Dub, Lead Architect
Gabriela Sekyrová, Architect
Pavel Paseka, Architect
Aneta Všechovská Zadáková, Architect
Josef Knížek, Chief Project Engineer [Obermayer Helika]
Taťána Čmelíková, Engineer [Obermayer Helika]

Project location: Sokolovská 700/113a, Prague 8 – Karlín, Czech Republic

Project year: 2013-2020
Completion year: 2020
Built-up Area: 2250 m²
Gross Floor Area: 18000 m² above grade

Client Developer: J&T Real Estate, www.jtre.cz
Tenant: J&T Banka, www.jtbank.cz

Collaborator Artwork Stellar Dust: Bomma, www.bomma.cz
Artwork Art Wall: Michal Škapa, www.michalskapa.cz
Infographics: Side2 – Tomáš Machek, www.side2.cz
Construction and structural engineering: Obermeyer Helika, www.obermeyer.cz
Transport engineering: Ateliér DUA, www.dua.cz
Technical engineering: Area TZB, www.areatzb.cz
Electrical engineering: Colsys, EZH, www.colsys.cz, www.ezh-as.cz
Metering and regulation: SAUTER, www.sauter.cz
Fire safety: AMPeng, www.ampeng.cz
Landscape architecture: Jana Pyšková, www.janapyskova.cz
Execution: GEOSAN – METROSTAV consortium, www.geosan-group.cz, www.metrostav.cz
Project Manager: Karel Kutnohorský, Milan Kolaja
Interior contractor: Stavební Interiérové Systémy, www.sis-systemy.cz

Products and Brands
bespoke furniture — SOLLUS Nábytek\www.sollus.cz, e-Truhlárna\www.etruhlarna.cz
interior partitions — LIKO-S\www.liko-s.cz, RACCOON\www.raccoondoors.com
walls — Boca Group\www.bocagroup.cz, Němec\www.nemec.eu
flooring — Boca Group\www.bocagroup.cz, Stavební Interiérové Systémy\www.sis-systemy.cz
tiles and cladding — JEŽ – kamenické práce\www.janjez.cz, ProCeram\www.proceram.cz
ceilings — KOMONT\www.komont.cz, Hunter Douglas – Czechia\www.hunterdouglasarchitectural.eu, Armstrong\www.armstrong.com
blinds and shutters — Hunter Douglas – Czechia\www.hunterdouglasarchitectural.eu
air conditioning — Orange Controls\www.orangecontrols.cz
lifts — OTIS\www.otis.com
freestanding furniture — Linstram\www.linstram.cz, Vitra koncept\www.vitra.com
lighting — Bomma – Bohemia Machine\www.bomma.cz, Exx\www.exx.cz, Delta Light\www.svitidla-deltalight.cz
carousels — RACCOON\www.raccoondoors.com
info systems — HOLUB Roman\www.znaceni.cz
textiles — Diamond Design\www.diamonddesign.eu