Plans for reconstruction and expansion of Bila labut unveiled

The owner of the Bila labut department store on Na Poříčí street in Prague 1 has had his plans for the building's reconstruction as well as new construction approved by monument preservation officials. Oldřich Petráček has been working with the architect Marek Tichý from the TaK studio for ten years on the plans, which include a new 7-storey office building and a new hotel. "The creators of Bila labut were technically speaking incredibly advanced," said Tichy in an interview with the magazine Forbes. "They were working with the concept of a glowing ocean cruiseliner and we plan to retain that. The magazine writes that the ground floor will open up to the street and be encased in glass while the 7-storey building's escalators will be moved to the middle rather than being shunted off to the side. The owner is looking for a single tenant who would take over operations of the entire department store.