[6] Milunić first met Václav Havel during the 1980s, when the former's family of six was unable to find sizeable lodgings at a Prague housing estate.

[6][8] Around the time of the Velvet Revolution, Havel reportedly proposed the idea of turning the empty lot next to their residence into a cultural centre to Milunić.

[4][6][9] Milunić formulated the initial design of the building,[8] but construction was held up because they could not find an investor to fund the project.

[10][11] Although the bank sought an architect with an international standing for the project, it chose to keep Milunić in a collaborative capacity given his local knowledge and in recognition of his earlier work on the site.

[14] He nevertheless maintained that it was the responsibility of municipal authorities to place limitations on developers in advance of their purchase of a site, adding that "the city's hands are pretty much tied" after that point.

[16][17] Milunić, one of five Czech architects recruited to work on the project, stated that they intended to use Prague "as an inspiration … not an exact copy".