Finalists of the Prague Old Town Club Award for New Construction in a Historical Setting for the Year 2015

The file of six buildings vying for this year’s award from the Club for Old Prague has an unusually balanced level, and almost any of them could easily win. However, a situation familiar from several recent years is repeating itself: examples of sensitive integration of new buildings into heritage-rich environments have not appeared in Prague for quite some time.

In contrast, Brno is characterized by consistently good quality of new buildings in a historical context. This year, the final included the extension of the local Faculty of Philosophy designed by the local studio of Petr Pelčák. The jury was impressed by the calm order of its facades, the perfect treatment of its surface, and the sensitive connection to the neighboring 19th-century buildings.

The extension of the Dusík Theater in Čáslav by the Brno studio Burian&Křivinka stands out for similar values. The modern architecture with theater facilities and a pleasant café has respectfully integrated between the historic theater buildings and the medieval fortification belt.

The metal structure of the Comenius Bridge in Jaroměř was designed by Professor Mirko Baum from the Technical University of Aachen with architect David Baroš and structural engineer Vladimír Janata. The intricate construction of its lower supporting part, which interestingly contrasts with the modest upper part for pedestrians and cyclists, enhances the rear facade of the historical core of Jaroměř with a new shape and aligns itself with the surrounding old buildings through its precisely measured proportions.

The new building of the Pakosta Gallery in Litomyšl has been given a small tower form by Brno architect Zdeňka Vydrová, which creates a suitable transition between the small structure of the surrounding burgher houses and the massive block of the former Piarist Gymnasium. The author chose traditional materials in an not entirely traditional combination and managed to make them interesting through the unusual form of a gable roof.

The corner building of the more extensive area of the Pálava Gallery of Wines Venus in Pavlov, again from the Brno studio Burian&Křivinka, has more decisively relied on traditional forms, sometimes referred to as archetypal houses. With its dimensions, plastered facades, and gable roof above the main object, this new building has found the right degree of harmony with the surrounding houses of the old wine town.

The extension of the local kindergarten aims for harmony with the nearby buildings of the Renaissance castle and the historical brewery in Velká Bystřice through the regular rhythm of its covered loggia, well-chosen dimensions, and wooden cladding of its structure. Prague architects Michal Sborwitz, Marie Sborwitzová, and Karel Prášil continue with this extension in their cultivation of the Hanácká village, which they began a few years ago with a generous redesign of its central space.

All the mentioned new buildings elevate their locations to a new qualitative level. They not only bring interesting architecture but will also serve them well functionally and always provide an impetus for enriching their surroundings. This “bonus” is among the key values that the competition jury has been tracking since the beginning.

The winner of the twelfth edition of their award will be announced by the Club for Old Prague on the evening of February 15, 2016, at the Mlýnská café on Kampa Island in Prague.

Rostislav Švácha