The student architecture competition was won by the Viking museum and the Argentine observatory

Prague - The winner of the main category for architecture in the 10th edition of the international student competition Inspireli Awards is the project proposal for a Viking museum in Norway by Polish student Jakub Miśniakiewicz. In the interior category, another student from Poland, Mateusz Pludowski, was awarded for the design of the CareWork community center with shared workspace in Sopot. A team from Argentina was recognized for the Astronomical Observation Center Ñawi in the urbanism category. The winners were announced today at the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague.

The aim of the Inspireli Awards is to support young talents from around the world, regardless of their social, economic, or geographical conditions. This year's edition involved 1,506 students with 1,511 projects from 77 countries, making it the largest student architectural competition in the world, according to the organizers. The competition was founded in the Czech Republic based on the idea of former president Václav Havel and architects Bořek Šípek and Karel Smejkal.

Miśniakiewicz's project from the Krakow University of Technology resembles Viking houses where medieval Scandinavians gathered, for example, for celebrations or negotiations. The building is meant to serve as a Nordic museum in Norway near a historic Viking burial mound, which is likely the grave of a king or a noble leader.

Pludowski from the Faculty of Architecture at the Gdańsk University of Technology wanted to create a place for everyday life in Sopot, where people can work, meet, and relax. The CareWork project is located on Grunwaldzka Street, which attracts many tourists. The main building includes a café, coworking areas, spaces for children and seniors, creative rooms, a winter garden, and spaces for community events.

The Argentine team aimed to enhance the tourist appeal of the Tucumán province with their proposal for the astronomical center. The goal was to create a comprehensive center that, in addition to functioning as an observatory, also includes a tourist complex with gastronomic establishments.

The main categories are intentionally left without a theme by the organizers, allowing each student to showcase what is currently being addressed in their country. Thematic sections are also recognized. In the competition for the renovation of Zahrádky Castle, a team from Poland consisting of Damian Gembarski, Weronika Lawniczaková, Aleksandra Bugajská, Michal Cegliński, and Zuzanna Czesná won. The competition for a design with the possibility of constructing a project from local materials named the Kashitu School Competition was won by a Danish team that included Anna Wilczewská, Antje Heyselberghs, and Zin Sadiková. The competition partner Graphisoft subsequently awarded the Center for Support and Community Development for the Visually Impaired in Vietnam.