Chybik + Kristof Architects & Urban Designer

Chybik + Kristof Architects & Urban Designers was founded in 2010 by Ondřej Chybík and Michal Krištof. The studio is based in the Jalta Palace residential building, originally built in 1929 by builder Jaroslav Polívka, featuring a shopping arcade and a basement cinema, Bio Moderna.

In the same year, the building was purchased by the international YWCA movement, which intended to create accommodation for women on the upper floors. From 1934, the building was owned by the Czechoslovak state. The five-storey building was designed for multifunctional use: commercial spaces on the ground floor and arcade, offices on the first and second floors, and residential spaces above, including a top-floor terrace. The building changed ownership several times and was eventually neglected until the city, together with a private owner, restored it.

The new owner renovated the building in cooperation with heritage authorities. In 2019, it reopened to the public as a multifunctional space with a shopping arcade, cabaret, offices, architectural studios and apartments. Premiere Properties invested heavily in the restoration, with Sollaron Architects responsible for the design work.

Chybik + Kristof Architects & Urban Designers now has offices in Prague, Brno and Bratislava. The studio achieved international recognition at EXPO 2015 in Milan, winning a bronze medal for architecture for the Czech Pavilion.