The Liberec Gallery has an award for new construction in a historic environment

Prague - The Klub za starou Prahu (Club for Old Prague) today awarded the prize for the best new building in a historic environment to the depository of the Regional Gallery in Liberec, which was built next to the local municipal baths. The baths, dating from 1902, have been transformed into a gallery of fine arts after a two-year renovation, which will open on February 26. The depository was designed by a team consisting of Karel Novotný, Jiří Buček, Petr Čihák, Jan Duda, Jana Hlavová, and Filip Horatschke.
    "The municipal baths stand in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the Czech Republic, created during the era of late historicism and early Art Nouveau at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries," say the members of the club. Although the structure of the baths features formally rich architecture, the authors of the depository opted for a strict form of a simple prism. "However, they chose the right scale for this austere shape and also correctly positioned it in the street line, despite other considerations that recommended hiding the depository deeper into the lot," states the chairman of the jury Rostislav Švácha.
    The Club for Old Prague announced the winner of the award for the tenth time today. Through this competition, among other goals, it aims to contribute to the dialogue between preservationists and architects, whose efforts sometimes seemingly contradict each other according to generally shared opinions. The club honors buildings that, in its view, do not disrupt the historic environment, stand out with valuable architecture, and enhance their surroundings.
    The award can be received by the author of the building from anywhere in the republic, not just from Prague. The jury consists of 21 members of the club's committee, known as the Home Council. This year, the council discussed 12 buildings, with six making it to the finals. The nominations also included the Theatre at Orlí in Brno, a family house with a surgery in Holešov, the National Center for Garden Culture in Kroměříž, a multifunctional building in Mohelnice, and an extension of the Arigone Hotel in Olomouc.
    In this year's edition, buildings from Moravia predominated; the winning Liberec represented Bohemia, while Prague had no representation. "Although construction in the Czech Republic is going through a crisis, the number of applicants for the award did not reflect this. There may not have been any significantly new trends in architectural solutions for historic environments, respectively in those that were successful, but within the established ones, architects behave inventively and creatively," states Švácha.
    The historic building of the baths in Liberec had been empty for years, and the city was looking for a use for it. The reconstruction of the building and the construction of the depository cost 360 million crowns, largely funded by European grants. The Regional Gallery in Liberec is moving into its new space after 60 years. In the new premises, it will gain more exhibition space, among other things.