4D Center Administrative building

The Chemapol- Invest building in Prague Vršovice, built between 1966 and 1970, is an administrative building which represents an important example of modern architecture. Its innovative skeleton system and the first use of a hanging facade coat in Czechoslovakia is remarkable.

The creation of the complex began in 1964 with an architectural competition to the seat of Energy. The winning design was developed by young architects Zdenka Marie Nováková and Dagmar Šestáková, who were 24 and 28 at the time. The original investor Energoprojekt retreated in 1965 for financial reasons, but the project was taken over by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its companies Chemapol and Investa.

The administrative building consists of a tritractor of three connected parts. Building And with nine above-ground floors she served as a headquarters, building B with twelve floors was a business part and the lowest building C with four floors was designed for mechanisation and engineering. The architectural solution is based on the international postwar style, namely the skin- and-bone principle. The Italian company FEAL was used for the implementation, which delivered the assembled skeleton and original façade of the type VAR M3. The narrow terrain was consistent with two-level terraces and green.

The project was designed as a whole with works of important artists such as Zdeněk Palcr, Miloslav Hlučák, Vera Janoušková, Josef Kliš and Jiří John. The interior contained original aluminum ceilings and metal elements.

After the fire in April 1969, which destroyed a third of Building B, there was a conclusive check in 1970. Although the project did not receive public attention due to the emigration of Dagmar Šestáková and the placing of some artists on the blacklist, it remains an important example of the architecture of the 1960s.

After 1989, ownership changed between Chemapol Center and Chemapol Group. After the bankruptcy of the last company in 1999, the Office of State Representation in Property matters represented the building, subsequently managed by Copenhagen Office Center s.r.o.

The reconstruction between 2002 and 2006 brought changes, such as a paint coating by Yaac Agama, which lost its original appearance. The statue of Zdeněk Palcra and the relief of Miloslav Fluffy were removed.

In 2014, the building was taken over by the Daramis Group, which planned its demolition for new construction. In December 2023, although the National Heritage Institute sought to preserve the building, permission was granted to remove it.

This building remains a testament to the courage of young architects and technological breakthrough. Her fate underlines the value of modern heritage in urban development. We recommend seeing it while it is still in Vršovice.