In the 3rd year of the Czech Architecture Award, 145 projects were submitted

145 works are competing for the title in the 3rd year of the Czech Architecture Award (ČCA). The international expert jury will now select a narrower group of nominees from them. The public will learn which projects have made it to the nominations on May 31 at the nomination evening in Divadlo Archa. The names of the ČCA finalists and the holder of the main award will then be announced at the ceremonial gala evening on November 19. Also awarded will be the Prizes for Outstanding Achievement, selected by the Academy and the ČCA Council, as well as the Partner Prizes.

Works realized in the territory of the Czech Republic between 2013 and 2017 could enter the competitive showcase organized by the Czech Chamber of Architects. Compared to the first two years, the number of projects completed only in the previous year has increased - this year, nearly two-thirds of the realizations (95) are from 2017. New constructions dominate over renovations, making up approximately two-thirds of the submitted projects (98). It is confirmed that housing remains an important topic in construction in the Czech Republic; in this year's ČCA, family and apartment houses, residential complexes, cottages, and chalets make up half of the submitted works (72). A catalog of all submitted realizations is freely accessible on the competition's website.

Private Investments Predominate

More than 2/3 of the projects (104) are backed by private investors. In public contracts (41), there is a larger share of renovations, which account for almost half (19). Only two buildings submitted for this year's showcase have emerged from an architectural competition with confirmation of regularity from the Czech Chamber of Architects. These are the Reconstruction of the Cinema into a Multifunctional Cultural Facility in Planá / XTOPIX architects (competition in 2013) and the Renewal of the River Loučná Embankment in Litomyšl / Rusina Frei architects and Atelier PARTERO (competition announced by the Karel Komárek Foundation also in 2013). From an investment perspective, this year's submissions include both minor works and those with higher investment costs (mainly university and school buildings or apartment complexes).

One Third of Works Realized in Prague and Brno

One third of the submitted realizations were created in Prague or Brno (47). Among the regions, Central Bohemia leads in the number of works competing for the award (15), followed by Moravian-Silesian and Zlín regions (11), and South Moravian and Plzeň regions (10). The fewest constructions are from the Karlovy Vary, Pardubice, and Ústí nad Labem regions (two works each).

Housing Projects Make Up Half of Submitted Realizations

Typologically, housing projects account for half of the submitted buildings (72). Cultural and social facilities (19), schools and educational institutions (9), and sports buildings (7) are also represented. Very few public spaces or landscape initiatives are included. Among the submissions, there are three sacred buildings and also monuments, such as the reconstruction of the National Cultural Monument of the National Stud Farm Kladruby nad Labem.

The Authorship of Buildings is Male-Dominated

The perspective on the authors of the submitted works is interesting. Although the number of female and male architecture students has been rather balanced in the long term, there are only four works this year in the ČCA whose authors are women. This phenomenon was also observed in previous years.

International Expert Jury

The work of Czech architects will be evaluated by a prestigious seven-member international jury. Its members are Austrian architect Carlo Baumschlager, architect Zsolt Gunther, one of the leading Hungarian architects, Slovak architect Andrea Klimko, Polish architect Robert Konieczny, representative of not only landscape architecture Yael Moria Klain from Israel, Ivan Reimann, an architect of Czech descent working in Germany, and German architect and educator Roger Riewe.

Works Submitted by Both Architects and Nominated by Experts

Both the authors themselves and members of the Academy of the Czech Architecture Award, consisting of more than 300 Czech architects and other professionals and personalities connected with the field, could submit their works to the competition. Works submitted in previous years, except for those that made it to the narrower group of nominees, were also eligible for awards. However, this option was not widely utilized. A more detailed introduction to individual projects will be provided in the catalog of nominated projects and subsequent exhibitions in the regions.