Brno is looking for authors of a new main railway station, sign up for the international competition

The largest architectural competition in the history of the Czech Republic has just started. Brno is looking for authors of the design for the new main train station. The Office of the Architect of the City of Brno launched an international urban transportation-architectural competition for the proposal on Monday, August 31. The city of Brno and the state organization Administration of Railways are jointly organizing it. Architects from all over the world can apply.


The international competition is a narrower, two-phase one. Any architect who meets the qualification requirements according to the competition conditions can submit a portfolio. The expert jury will select nine participants from the submitted portfolios, and three studios have been invited to participate directly. The deadline for submitting applications and the competition conditions are published on the profile of the contracting authority https://zakazky.spravazeleznic.cz/vz00008077.

The new main train station will not only serve as a new gateway to Brno but also as a center of a new southern district. "The new main train station will fundamentally influence the development of the city due to its significance. It will be a key transportation hub with the possibility of quick transfers between train, bus, and urban public transport," stated Filip Chvátal, councilor for spatial planning and development.

The largest international competition in the Czech Republic by scope

"We want Brno to have a new main train station that will rank among the best in Europe. We directly invited three foreign architectural studios that participated in the construction of new stations in Vienna, Amsterdam, or Berlin. The competition jury will select nine additional competitors from the submitted portfolios," clarified Michal Sedláček, director of the Office of the Architect of the City of Brno (KAM), on behalf of the organizer.

In the first phase of the competition, up to twelve participants will develop their concepts. The competition jury will anonymously select four from them to advance to the second phase. In the second phase, those will refine their proposals in more detail, after which the jury will select the winner and determine the second, third, and fourth places. Evaluation of proposals in the first phase will take place in February, and in the second phase in June 2021. The winner will receive a reward of six million crowns, the second-place five million, and the third four million.

A comprehensive solution to public spaces is part of the proposal

"The new station will offer greater capacity, comfort for passengers, and modernization of rail transport. It will be located on a bridge seven meters above the ground. It will be passable and will not create a barrier between the northern and southern parts of the new district. The competition task also includes a comprehensive solution to public spaces and buildings in front of and behind the station area, including their connection to the embankment of the Svratka River. These are public spaces that have no equivalent in Brno in terms of scale, so it is essential to find a quality solution," added KAM director Sedláček.

The task of the competitors will be to design the station building, including roof structures and the appearance of platforms, the railway infrastructure and bridge structures, the layout of internal spaces, and the location of the main waiting hall, as well as a complete solution of the adjacent public spaces. In addition to rail transport, it is also necessary to address the design and location of the bus station, public transport terminal, parking, bicycle storage, and pedestrian connectivity.

More information can also be found on the website www.kambrno.cz/souteze.