SuperPrior Most

Year2026

CategoryProjects

LocationMost

StatusCompetition entry

Our competition entry for the revitalisation of the PRIOR department store in Most, awarded 2nd place, transforms the modernist landmark into a multifunctional centre for the everyday life of the city. We do not see the building as a stand-alone object, but as an open structure that connects culture, work, housing and leisure.

We retain the original massing and structural logic of the building while opening it up to the city with a new transparent façade layer and an active ground floor linked to the public space of náměstí Velké mostecké stávky.

The design is based on eight principles – from round-the-clock 24/7 life, through synergy of functions, urban permeability and sustainability, to architectural quality. These principles shape PRIOR as a living organism in which revitalisation is not merely the reconstruction of a building, but an impulse for new urban energy.

Client	Statutory City of Most
Design team	Martin Krupauer Pavel Kvintus Martin Sedmák Lucie Formanová Andrej Kacera Václav Soukup Mikuláš Ott Anastasiia Ihnatkova Tereza Voltová Radek Jakeš Patrik Suchý
Co-authors	Baumschlager Eberle Architekten
Programming partners	BC 21 Gastro, Makemore Edutainmnet, KREIA Culture Programming
Visualisations	Monolot, Baumschlager Eberle Architekten

Continuity and Transformation

The design treats the original modernist building as a valuable structure with potential for further development. Instead of replacing it, it retains the characteristic massing of SuperPrior and adds new layers of programme and architecture.

The transformation thus emerges from a dialogue between the original building, present-day needs and the specific context of Most.

Façade Membrane

The building’s new identity is created by a transparent façade membrane inspired by the industrial heritage of the Most region and the verticality of its mining towers. Its grid, rhythm and vertical articulation refer to the region’s mining infrastructure without imitating it literally.

The industrial memory of the place is inscribed into the architecture as a principle – in the regularity of the façade structure, its transparency and the contrast between the robustness of the original building and the lightness of the new layer.

The glazed envelope also changes the building’s relationship with the city. The building opens up, allows visual contact between the interior and the public space, and lets the life inside the building show through to the outside.

The new façade layer is therefore not just a new image for the building, but a tool for its transformation. It creates a dialogue between the original modernist architecture, the industrial memory of the Most region and the new use, giving SuperPrior the potential to regain a significant role in the image of the city.

Placemaking

In transformation projects such as SuperPrior Most, the key is not only the renewal of the building itself, but above all the ability to restore its urban relevance. That is why the design treats placemaking not as an addition to the architecture, but as one of its fundamental principles.

We see SuperPrior as a platform for different layers of everyday life. Food and drink, culture, a multiplex cinema and a music club are complemented by spaces for sport and movement, community activities, children’s clubs and informal meetings. On the upper floors, these are followed by flexible workspaces and residential spaces.

What matters is not just the number of functions, but their thoughtful combination and mutual synergy. The diverse programme brings different groups of users into the building and allows it to be alive throughout the day.

The green courtyard is also an important part of the design. It acts as a quiet centre of gravity for the building, a place to spend time and meet, and a counterbalance to the intense urban bustle.