Signal Space—the Czech Republic’s first permanent digital art gallery—opens on Wednesday Oct. 1 after 22 months of construction. The project transformed an open-plan retail space into eight projection rooms in the heritage-listed 19th-century structure.
Savills managed the conversion of the former supermarket, which had been vacant for years. The building’s listed status naturally created significant complications, including restrictions on what could be done to the building and a need for flexibility as specific artworks were confirmed. Jan Jurčíček, Head of Building & Project Consultancy at Savills, diplomatically noted that the project involved “a significantly higher number of stakeholders with diverse demands” compared to standard assignments.
The 3,100-sqm facility dedicates 2,500 sqm to gallery space, with the remainder allocated to support functions including a café and supervised children’s area. Construction focused on surface modifications to optimize projection and laser installations rather than structural alterations—critical given the monument designation.
Savills’ work included acoustic measurements, fire safety engineering, AV infrastructure coordination with specialist contractors, and coordination with Prague municipal authorities.
The layout comprises an Immersive Space (with purpose-built projection surfaces), an Infinity Room (with mirrors and a Preciosa glass installation), CzechBox for emerging Czech artists, and Playground—an audiovisual children’s section.
Signal Festival founder Martin Pošta had pursued the concept for several years before identifying the Old Town location. The difficulty he faced was finding a location with enough floor area as well as central public access.
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