Announced the second year of the architectural competition CITY WITHOUT SMOG

The goal of the Smog-Free Cities competition is to inform both professionals and the general public about the possibilities of using the unique TX Active technology in construction, as well as to support the creations of students and young architects. They can propose any concrete object intended for public space within the competition, which will clean the air in its surroundings thanks to the use of special cement. Concrete made from cement with TX Active technology binds harmful nitrogen oxides – the main cause of smog, converts them into harmless substances, and thus reduces air pollution. Moreover, this material has certain self-cleaning properties.

The competition is intended for students of architecture, civil engineering, design, and fine arts, as well as for authorized persons, experts, and interested parties from these fields.

Competition Dates
March 1, 2013 Announcement of the second year of the Smog-Free Cities competition
April 22, 2013 Deadline for submission of competition entries
April 29, 2013 Meeting of the expert jury
May 2, 2013 Launch of online voting for the general public
May 29, 2013 Official announcement of the competition winners

Evaluation, Prizes for Participants and Voters
The expert jury will evaluate the competition entries based on the quality of architectural and urban solutions, feasibility, justification for the suitability of using TX Active technology, creativity, inventiveness, and aesthetics. The jury will award three main prizes of 50,000 CZK, 20,000 CZK, and 10,000 CZK, additionally, a CEO's Prize will be awarded and possibly prizes from competition partners.

All entries that meet the competition conditions will be exhibited on the competition website, where online voting for the general public will also take place. The author of the best-rated entry will be rewarded with a financial sum of 10,000 CZK. Three randomly selected voters will then receive valuable prizes: an iPad and two Google Nexus 7 tablets.

Composition of the Expert Jury
Ing. arch. Ludvík Grym
Ing. arch. Markéta Veselá
Ing. Jan Hrozek
Ing. arch. Pavel Jura
Ing. arch. Petra Gescheidtová
Alternate members: Ing. arch. Václav Kocián, Miroslav Příkopa

TX Active Technology
The essence of the TX Active technology is to accelerate the process of decomposing harmful substances through photocatalysis. Buildings that use this technology can reduce pollutants (primarily the smog-causing nitrogen oxides) in their environment and additionally have self-cleaning properties. This technology can be used anywhere regular cement is used – namely in traffic structures, exposed concretes, roof tiles, pavements, sound barriers, façade panels, and more.

Organizer of the Competition
The organizer of the competition is Českomoravský cement, a.s., a leading manufacturer of building materials in the Czech Republic, which is part of the international group HeidelbergCement.

All information about the competition, the complete text of the competition conditions, a presentation of last year's edition, competition jury, or TX Active technology can be found on the competition page www.bezsmogu.cz

Follow the progress of the competition also on its dedicated profile www.facebook.com/bezsmogu

Main partner of the competition: Archiweb.cz
Media partners of the competition: ASB, Beton TKS, Design Cabinet, Home and Garden, Enviweb.cz, ERA 21, Happy materials, HOME, Construction Realization, Building, Construction, Builder, Mining Union, TZB-info.cz, Partner Schools: Faculty of Architecture VUT in Brno, Faculty of Civil Engineering ČVUT in Prague, Faculty of Civil Engineering VUT in Brno, Faculty of Fine Arts VUT in Brno, Faculty of Art and Architecture TUL, Department of Design VŠUP, Faculty of Civil Engineering VŠB-TUO, Department of Civil Engineering VŠTE, Faculty of Art and Design UJEP in Ústí n. L., Expert Partners: Betotech, Českomoravský gravel, a.s., Českomoravský concrete, a.s.
The competition is in accordance with the Competition Rules of the Chamber of Architects of the Czech Republic.