New seat of the Municipal Office in Hovorčovice - competition results

On October 20 and 23, 2020, an evaluation meeting of the jury took place, during which the awarded and honored designs were selected.

1st prize – Ing.arch. Jan Lebl, Ing.arch. Jakub Adamec
2nd prize – Mgr. Akad.arch. Radka Kurčíková, Ing.arch. MgA. Ondřej Blaha, MgA. Anna Svobodová
3rd prize – Ing.arch. Přemysl Jurák
Reward - OTA atelier s.r.o.
Reward - TŘI.ČTRNÁCT architekti s.r.o., DOXA s.r.o.

“The jury appreciates the decision of the client to approach the solution of the municipal office in Hovorčovice through an architectural competition. This choice confirmed the importance of architectural competitions in addressing such an important topic as finding the expression of the first house of the municipality. The high participation and a number of quality projects are proof of the right choice of seeking architectural solutions through an architectural competition.” Quote from the conclusion of the jury's evaluation meeting

The municipality of Hovorčovice knows the new form of its Municipal Office building. During two evaluation meetings of the jury, composed of experts from experienced architects and representatives of the municipality, a total of 40 competition designs were evaluated. Three designs were awarded, and two received a reward.

The jury discussed the submitted designs primarily regarding issues of urban integration, architectural expression, spatial solutions, and economic feasibility. The greatest discussion evidently arose around the very expression of the municipal office. Essentially, the designs represented two poles, with one leaning towards a more civilian solution and the other pursuing a strong dominant feature. In this context, the question of context and the scale of each design was always discussed. After the first evaluation meeting, the narrowed number of proposals was evaluated by an expert on the energy demands of buildings.

The first place was awarded to the design by architects Jan Lebl and Jakub Adamec, which, according to the jury, best met all evaluation criteria, which included the overall quality of the architectural and urban solution, the degree of compliance with the assignment requirements, and the economy and economic appropriateness of the proposal. The winning design is a striking standalone object successfully defining the formal public space of the municipality. At the same time, the object provides a confident counterbalance to the dominant church. As one of the few, the winners managed to clearly capture the form of a "municipal office." The object is compact and offers well-designed and clear layouts with an emphasis on the significance of the entrance area and the central courtyard with a staircase.

The second place was taken by the design of authors Radka Kurčíková, Ondřej Blaha, and Anna Svobodová. The jury was impressed by the use of sensitive architectural detail and the elaboration of the theme of arcades. The civil expression of the object is an adequate response to the current view of the role of public administration in a small municipality. The third place was awarded to the design by architect Přemysl Jurák, who offered an alternative approach to the urban completion of the village square in the form of a semi-open courtyard.

One of the awarded designs is from the architects of OTA atelier Ondřej Fiala, Tomáš Henel, and Šárka Gulašiová. The project offered a cultivated solution for a standalone object with a traditional village form in a contemporary interpretation. Also awarded was the design of Slovak ateliers TŘI.ČTRNÁCT architekti and DOXA, authored by Tomáš Boroš, Ondrej Jurčo, Maroš Mitro, Juraj Červený, and Daniela Sabová. The design deserved the reward for its interesting urban solution connecting both significant municipal spaces.

The awarded and honored designs were shared a total amount of 300,000 CZK. We thank the other participants for their participation and the significant effort they invested in their proposals. All submitted designs will be presented at a planned exhibition at the Hovorčovice school. The date of the exhibition will be specified in accordance with the state of quarantine measures. Designs that received a prize or reward can be viewed on the municipality's website or on the ČKA website in the competition section.

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