Czech architecture nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2013

The Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) and two selected experts participated, as in previous years, in the nomination of the best contemporary Czech buildings for the prestigious international showcase of works, the Mies van der Rohe Award 2013. The Chamber recommended four Czech architectural works for this unique European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, Igor Kovačević nominated three buildings, and Osamu Okamura nominated five.

The biennial competitive exhibition of realized buildings has been organized by the European Union and the Mies van der Rohe Foundation in Barcelona since 1988. The aim of the competition is to "discover and recognize significant creative achievements in the field of architecture, highlight the contribution of European architects to the development of the profession, and promote the application of new concepts and technologies. The award also aims to help improve understanding of contemporary architecture and its role in societal development."
From the hundreds of submitted works, an expert international jury in Barcelona will select the finalists - the best 30 to 35 European buildings, which will subsequently be presented in a catalog and at a traveling exhibition. The jury will also determine one building to receive the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award, and one building to be awarded a Special Prize for Emerging Architects.

CZECH NOMINATIONS FOR MIES VAN DER ROHE AWARD 2013
The Czech Chamber of Architects is always invited as one of the professional organizations in Europe to nominate the five best European buildings. In addition to established professional organizations and other expert institutions, selected independent experts from across Europe who specialize in contemporary architecture can also nominate buildings for the competition. The list of experts is rotated by the Mies van der Rohe Foundation in Barcelona. This year, the buildings representing the Czech Republic were chosen by Igor Kovačević and Osamu Okamura. In the past, the experts have included architects Milan Hon, Irena Fialová, and Yvette Vašourková.
Institutions and experts make decisions independently and must submit their nominations of up to five of the best works completed in 2011 or 2012 within the territory of the Czech Republic or anywhere in the EU by a specified deadline. While the experts may decide subjectively, the Chamber of Architects nominates its buildings based on recommendations from a special expert committee set up for this purpose (composition: Karolina Jirkalová, Jan Sedlák, Imro Vaško). However, the final list of nominations is approved by the executive board of the ČKA. "There was certainly a lot to choose from; there have surprisingly been many high-quality buildings created in the last two years. However, compared to previous years, fewer public buildings were completed, and the broader selection consisted mostly of more modest realizations,” summarizes the work of the expert jury its member, architecture theorist Karolina Jirkalová.
The Czech Republic has been sending its nominations for the Mies van der Rohe Award since 1997.

Czech Nominations 2013:

Josef Pleskot - AP Atelier / Conversion of the Gas Holder into a Multifunctional Hall, Ostrava
(nominated by the executive board of ČKA, Igor Kovačević, Osamu Okamura)

Šrámková architekti / Tyrš Bridge, Přerov
(nominated by the executive board of ČKA)

Radek Kolařík architectural workshop / Residential Building Na Zatlance, Prague
(nominated by the executive board of ČKA)

Miroslav Cikán, Pavla Melková - MCA atelier, s.r.o., Petr Buš, Pavel Košťálek / Revitalization of the Bastion at Boží muky, Prague 2
(nominated by the executive board of ČKA and Igor Kovačević)

Zdeněk Fránek / Church in Litomyšl
(nominated by Igor Kovačević)

DaM, s r.o. - Petr Burian / Residential Building with Gymnasium, Prague 1
(nominated by Osamu Okamura)

Rudiš-Rudiš architectural office - Martin Rudiš / Observatory and Planetarium Brno
(nominated by Osamu Okamura)

Stanislav Fiala - FIALA + NĚMEC / Golf Club Čertovo Břemeno
(nominated by Osamu Okamura)

UNIT architects, Jiran Kohout architects - Zdeněk Jiran, Michal Kohout, David Tichý / Residential Buildings Na Vackově in Prague
(nominated by Osamu Okamura)

CZECH SUCCESSES
Buildings realized on Czech territory or by Czech architects have performed relatively well in European competition, having repeatedly reached the finals of the competition. Among Eastern European countries, however, Slovenians and Croatians have been the most successful so far. "It is hard to explain why no domestic building by a Czech architect has appeared in the final of the competition for a long time. There are several works here that certainly deserve to be in the final selection due to their architectural level. Perhaps it is due to the way they are presented, or maybe because the jurors focus primarily on proven names and countries with traditionally high architectural standards in the massive volume of buildings," says Karolina Jirkalová.

In previous years, the following buildings reached the finals of the competition:
1997 - IPB Bank in Brno / Aleš Burian, Gustav Křivinka
2001 - MUZO in Prague / Stanislav Fiala/D3A
2003 - Euro Palace in Prague / Petr Malinský, Richard Doležal, Petr Burian, Michal Pokorný, Martin Kotík
        - passage through the rampart of the Powder Bridge at Prague Castle - Josef Pleskot
2005 - Trappist Monastery in Nový Dvůr / John Pawson
2007 - Selfridges and Co. Department Store, Birmingham / Jan Kaplický and Amanda Levete, Future Systems

EXHIBITION OF RESULTS FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR IN PRAGUE
An exhibition of buildings that reached the finals of the Mies van der Rohe Award 2011 will take place from November 8, 2012, to January 6, 2013, at the Trade Fair Palace NG in Prague.