In the architectural competition for the kindergarten, 28 designs were selected in Jablonec nad Nisou

Jablonec nad Nisou – In an open architectural competition for a new kindergarten, Jablonec nad Nisou selected from 28 proposals. The expert jury awarded the best design to the association of architects Martin Vančura, Anna Koukolová, and Atelier Za Mák, which was deemed elegant, timeless, as well as economical, rational, and measured, said the deputy mayor for development Jakub Chuchlík (Pirates) to reporters today. The new kindergarten, costing 120 million CZK, is planned to be completed by 2026.

"All 28 proposals submitted had good quality; it was not easy to decide, there was no proposal that stood out above the others. An important aspect was operational costs and energy demands. The winning proposal is actually quite modest, and its quality lies in the fact that it acts very urbanistically. It utilizes the difference in terrain, and on the upper floor at one level, it has all six classes of the kindergarten with direct access to the garden," added Chuchlík.

The architects located a gymnasium and a room for leisure activities on the ground floor of the building, allowing for independent functioning of that part of the building. According to Chuchlík, the subject of the architectural competition was not only the design of the new kindergarten building but also the garden and its immediate surroundings. "By placing the building on the edge of the site, a large part of the garden will remain open and undeveloped. The team included a landscape architecture studio, and a good solution for the kindergarten garden was part of the design," he added.

In second place in the competition was the proposal from the office Projektil Architekti, where the jury appreciated the high architectural quality and economical volume. The authors of the third proposal, Hejdová Duba architects, were also praised by the jury for their good placement and compact building solution. The winning proposal was awarded by the city with half a million CZK, while the authors of the second and third received 300,000 CZK and 200,000 CZK, respectively. "The jury decided to award three additional prizes totaling 100,000 CZK," Chuchlík added. The city intends to present all proposals to the public in an exhibition and will also prepare a catalog.

The new kindergarten will be built by the dam on the site of the Free School, which is relocating from the area, as well as on the site of a special kindergarten that is a detached workplace of MŠ Palackého. "After several options of verifying the use of existing buildings, we concluded that it would be most appropriate to demolish the premises and build anew. Those buildings were created in the past as part of 'action Z' and are not in good condition in terms of layout, construction, or building technology," said Chuchlík. The new construction will thus be preceded by their demolition.