Interviews

Leoš Anderle: We want the so-called compact city

Published: 8. 5. 2023
Author: Karel Černý
Photo: Sekyra Group
logo Share

The current headquarters of Sekyra Group offers Leoš Anderle, the CEO of the development company, a clear view of Rohan Island where the group's offices will be moved upon completion of Rohan City. And it was clear to see during our interview that he is looking forward to the finalization of this project as well as others on their docket.

There is constant talk about insufficient construction in Prague. But when I'm driving through the city, I feel that there isn't a single district where something isn't getting built. Is it still not enough?
According to objective statistical numbers, it isn't, unfortunately. But that's a general issue that large cities are dealing with even beyond our borders. Nobody is managing to build in a way that quite satisfies the growing population. In terms of residential construction, Prague's demographic growth is around 10 to 15 thousand inhabitants per year, and it's quite likely that this growth isn't captured entirely – some estimates go as high as 15 to 20 thousand people. We've had exceptional years when roughly 7000 apartments were built per year, but we've had worse ones, too, of only 3000. So, the long-term average is around 5000 units per year. It's clear that a number like that can't service the demand.

You've been with Sekyra Group for over twenty years, where did you start?
When I came here in 2001, I became the director of the newly-formed commercial development division. We bought a project in the Opatov district where we subsequently built the Skanska headquarters, which now houses offices for multiple tenants. Then came other projects. We managed to win a tender to build the largest office building at the time. It was the T-Mobile office at Roztyly; a top-notch building at the time it was built and even now, 15 years later.

What do you consider important in your projects?
We realize, for instance, just how inextricably linked the interior and exterior environments are. We're lucky in a number of our projects to not only be the architects of the buildings themselves but also the surroundings, we're able to create the whole picture. Looking at Rohan Island, Smíchov, or Žižkov, some sort of public space always constitutes a major part of the design. Be it a kilometer-long pedestrian zone or a big park in Smíchov, a riverside promenade on Rohan, or a square in Žižkov encircled by a historic building. In the Smíchov project housing blocks, there are roughly 150–200 units around 80–120 square meters in size meant for small businesses, complemented by large 1000-meter units for grocery stores or others in the hundreds of square meters meant for drug stores or larger restaurants. But there are plenty of small business units, and they're not something we just build and forget, we care about what happens to them going forward. We want to have at least some control over the makeup that shapes the urban environment and its quality, and we want to implement the concept of the so-called compact city that is always buzzing with activity. That's why we prefer multifunctionality – not just offices and apartments but also parks, stores, services, educational and healthcare facilities, housing for seniors and students...

How have the processes preceding the actual construction changed over the years?
Significantly, compared to perhaps twenty years ago. There was no EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment), for instance, and if there was no change to the spatial plan, you'd have a construction permit within a year and a half. That's something you can only dream of today. Back then, the zoning permit would have about five pages; today, the first stage of the Smíchov project took up 50 pages for EIA and 100 pages for the zoning permit. What's more, these are very complex documents that are nearly impossible to draft perfectly. Changes to the spatial plan used to take no more than two years; Smíchov took a full decade. We've been working on this project for twenty years and only now have we gotten the first building through final inspection. I will admit, though, that things have now shifted into gear, so two buildings are getting built, we have the permits for eight more, and three other ones are in the initial stages. Nevertheless, drafting the necessary documentation and obtaining all the permits took an inordinate amount of time, primarily due to utterly nonsensical legislation.

It almost looks as if you could work on a single project all the way from being hired to retirement...
Not almost, these often are generational projects. The timelines we're dealing with are outrageous, and it's no wonder that the time and incumbent risk translate into the price of development projects. Looking at Smíchov City, when we were signing the development contract in 2003–2004, the number we were looking at in terms of invested funds was roughly 12 billion. Now we're nearly at 25 billion. On the other hand, it's true that as the expenses grew so did the profits, so it's not been fatal for our business.

Do you not feel fatigued after so many years spent on a single project?
Certainly not. Quite the contrary, I'm truly excited to see the scaffolding come off the first residential stage of the Smíchov project. We have 21 teams of architects working on three project stages in parallel, and our goal is to verticalize the horizontal scale of the housing block into individual buildings. Each one has its own street entrance, its own unique identity and image, including the interior spaces, hallways, elevators; the buildings don't differ in just the exterior design. At the same time, they're interconnected via a common basement level and they all encircle a vast private courtyard, or garden if you will, meaning they benefit from being part of a larger whole, including the availability of services such as a central front desk. I'm really looking forward to seeing the fruit of our labor after so many long years, it brings me satisfaction.

How many years are left until the projects in Smíchov, Rohan Island, and Žižkov are finished?
Smíchov looks like it could speed up thanks to Česká Spořitelna (Czech Savings Bank) joining the project. Our intention was to expand from the Na Knížecí Square towards the outskirts of the city step by step, but with the savings bank coming in, things are developing from the south and the north simultaneously; everything has sped up significantly. The first three stages (meaning that only a stretch along Radlická Street will be left undeveloped) should be finished within seven to eight years. Including the final stage, we're likely looking at ten to twelve years, in my opinion. The numbers look similar for Rohan. Žižkov is a little more complicated because it's an area with a singular purpose. Excepting the central building that will hold the community center and where a new square will be built, the majority is taken up by residential housing with multiple developers invested in the project. I feel that it could take another fifteen to twenty years. The construction of larger complexes for investors interested in rental housing might speed up the process, however.

The three projects we've mentioned are heavily scrutinized by the public and the media. Do you have any others?
Of course. After twenty years, we've recently finished the Belárie property, formerly the Modřany Chocolate Factory; we are working on a rental housing project (roughly 300 apartments in Opatov); and we've just obtained a permit to build around 600 apartments in Čakovice. There is a beautiful project by Atelier A69, it has a new street oriented in a way that offers views of a church, and, perpendicular to it, there are residential streets with three-story buildings... We're dealing with a lot of projects, some I can't even talk about right now. We're putting out feelers in Berlin, for instance – there are numerous investment opportunities there and the initial stages take a significantly shorter amount of time. The plot usually comes with a regulatory pre-approval that serves in lieu of our zoning permit. The required documentation is handled by an authorized architect; you draw up a project and you're ready to start building in nine months. That would take six to eight years in Czechia. And we're also back to looking at opportunities in Slovakia.


CV
Leoš Anderle (born 1975, in Prague) is the chief executive officer and deputy chairman of the board of the Sekyra Group development company.
He graduated in structural engineering from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at CTU Prague, starting his career in 1996 at Metrostav's development division.
Anderle has been with Sekyra Group since 2001 when he started as the director of the newly-formed commercial development division.
He's married and has two children – Leoš (9) and Eliška (7).
His free time is preferably spent with his family or playing sports (squash, golf, winter sports), he's keen on architecture and art. Collector cars are a hobby of his.

Leoš Anderle

Visualization of the Smíchov City project

Visualization of the Rohan City project

ad

https://www.weedy.cz https://www.weedy.cz https://www.weedy.cz

Keep reading

More articles