Conservers and architects agreed to collaborate in architectural competitions

Prague - The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) and the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) have agreed today to collaborate on architectural competitions. According to the memorandum, clients of tenders should request the requirements of heritage conservationists during the preparation of competitions. Heritage conservationists could also be part of the judging panels for tenders. This follows a joint press release from NPÚ and ČKA. According to the Chamber of Architects, the goal of the agreement is to prevent subsequent questioning of already announced competitions by heritage conservationists. Last year, a competition was held for the design of the renovation of the new terminal building at Prague's main train station and its surroundings. However, after announcing the winning design, the Ministry of Culture stated that the terminal is a cultural monument. The organizers of the competition criticized the listing of the terminal among the heritage sites.

Representatives of the heritage conservationists and architects did not specify any particular tenders today that led them to conclude the memorandum. "We initiated discussions with the general director of NPÚ based on several challenges to architectural competitions after they were announced by the expert offices of NPÚ and reached a solution that should prevent such procedures," said ČKA Chairman Jan Kasl. According to him, participants in competitions must receive a clear brief already in the competition conditions to avoid "wasting creative energy" and changes to already successful proposals.

"It is our effort that the clients of architectural competitions request the requirements of heritage conservation during their preparation, which will subsequently be part of the competition conditions," said NPÚ General Director Naďa Goryczková. According to her, ČKA will recommend the participation of heritage conservationists as experts or jury members in tenders related to monuments. Besides closer cooperation between heritage conservationists and architects, the memorandum also focuses on training for preparing and conducting architectural competitions and training jurors.

The competition for the new appearance of Prague's main train station and its surroundings was organized last year by the state Railway Administration, the Prague City Hall, and the Prague Public Transit Company. In the international competition, the proposal from the Copenhagen studio Henning Larsen Architects was successful. The dominant element of the proposal is a large wooden structure that is intended to arch over the new terminal building, and a large part of the terminal is to be removed. The proposal was presented at the end of November. However, the Ministry of Culture subsequently announced that the new terminal building of the station, which according to the design is to be partially demolished, is a cultural monument. Until then, it had not been listed in the heritage catalog.

The organizers of the competition then issued a statement in which they described the actions of the heritage conservationists as non-standard and giving the impression of being opportunistic. NPÚ denied that it had purposefully listed the terminal building in the catalog of cultural monuments in connection with the proposed renovations of the station. The Ministry of Culture decides on cultural monuments according to the institute, according to which the new terminal building is subject to heritage protection due to its connection to the Art Nouveau Fantova building, as the terminal is an extension of it.