cultural market of containers transforms disused prague site

a new marketplace offering food and culture has transformed an unused site at the heart of prague’s city center. titled ‘manifesto’, the project was the brainchild of martin barry, who, in addition to being the founder of architecture and urbanism platform reSITE, is also a landscape architect in his own right. the site, which is awaiting its permanent redevelopment by zaha hadid architects, has been overhauled thanks to a series of carefully positioned containers.

all images by jan cervenka, unless otherwise stated

to transform the disused site, martin barry commissioned nikola karabcová, lucie červená, and elvira islas — three female architects who won a student competition where the initial design was conceived. the project, which went from idea to realization in just 18 months, was developed with reSITE as its culture partner. ‘reSITE has always tried to design completely unique and inspiring experiences for users,’ martin barry explains. ‘with regeneration projects like manifesto, we are now moving beyond events into more tangible impacts and more permanent spaces.’

the new marketplace offers food and culture

sited between two billboards and overlooked by an elevated highway, the project’s main intention was to bring a forgotten corner of the city back to life. designed to be temporary and movable, manifesto comprises 27 custom-built containers that house food, beverage, and retail spaces. the market’s configuration is oriented around a main avenue, squares, and an ‘old town’ — a layout that references prague’s urban fabric.

image by alexandra siebenthal

three types of units have been designed to suit the needs of each tenant. the service and bar windows exist in modular sizes, while the black exteriors unify the project and offer discrete branding. conversely, the interiors leave room for customized fit-outs. furniture includes movable seating with bistro tables, custom-designed standing wood tables, and powder-coated steel stools. meanwhile, six 2-meter-long communal tables, called ‘blocq’, are made of tropical hardwood and have been donated by mmcité 1.

the previously unused site has been completely transformed

the project’s branding has been created by reSITE in collaboration with graphic designer funkfu, while florists haenke curated the plantation and greenery seen throughout the space. an installation called ‘victoria pragensis’, originally designed for the piazza of prague’s national theater by juráš lasovský, has also found a new home at manifesto.

juráš lasovský’s ‘victoria pragensis’ installation is also included

it is estimated that manifesto has created around 150 new jobs with over 30 different nationalities working across the site. the venue is also the first fully cashless destination in the czech republic and one of the first in europe. reSITE and martin barry partnered with aerofilms to build and operate the site, while penta real estate leased one portion of their brownfield while the rest of the land is undergoing archeological excavations. see more on manifesto’s official site here.

the installation was originally designed for the piazza of the prague’s national theater

the venue is sited between two billboards and overlooked by an elevated highway

the venue is now a hub of summer activity

the layout of the containers references prague’s urban fabric

project info:

project initiator, founder: martin barry
investor: abatanado, s.r.o. (owner: martin barry)
production and cultural development: aerofilms
culture partner: reSITE
land owner: penta real estate
architects: nikola karabcová, lucie červená & elvira islas
plant design: haenke
container fabrication: cubespace
finish fabricator & custom furniture: BAT design
copywriting: radka ondrackova and martin barry
in collaboration with: penta real estate, mastercard, mmcité, business chamber prague 1