The monumental vents are located in a car park behind the triangular building of the former Prior I department store, adjacent to a ramp that leads to an underground parking garage. 

They were created when the K-Mart retail chain, which was then based in the building, undertook renovation of the department store’s HVAC systems and planned to remove the original circular ventilation openings from above the machine room.  

Ivan Matušík, the architect behind the Prior Department Store and Hotel Kyjev complex, designed three towering ventilation shafts to replace them and to draw air into the machine room. They comprise cylindrical shafts, each with two conically flared intake vents oriented in opposite directions. The vents are covered with a protective grille and the bottom of the base is bordered by a concrete ring clad in travertine. In his original design, I. Matušík intended to complement the area around the vents with solid granite benches, but these were never built. 

Although at first glance the vents may appear to be separate elements, they interact visually and are interconnected. They form an architectural feature specifically designed for this public space. Their high-tech aesthetic is vaguely reminiscent of the vents at the New Market Hall, which was also designed by Ivan Matušík. 

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Research status as of 06. 02. 2025.