Announcement of the results of the Opava Prize J. M. Olbrich for reconstruction

The Opava Award J. M. Olbrich has been awarded by the association Za Opavu since 2007. Each year, the awarding of the prize alternates between a new construction prize and a reconstruction prize for projects carried out in the Opava region in the previous period. By awarding the Opava Award J. M. Olbrich, we aim to highlight interesting examples. The main purpose of the J. M. Olbrich Award is to emphasize the role of architecture in the life of individuals and society, to spark debate on the topic, to cultivate taste, and to bring educational confrontations.

In this year, the expert jury decided on the awarding of the prize for reconstruction approved in the years 2012-2013. The seven-member expert jury evaluated a total of 13 nominations, including 9 projects funded by public resources and 4 private investments. Among the nominations, there were reconstructions of two libraries, two family houses, two sacred buildings, two exhibition buildings of museums, developer projects of commercial and community complexes, and a building designed for senior housing with associated services, the reconstruction of one public park space, one fire station, and one cultural house with a community hall and additional facilities.

For this year's edition, the members of the expert jury were appointed:
Ing. arch. Milena Vitoulová, architect
Mgr. Martin Strakoš, art historian and expert in heritage care
Ing. arch. MgA. Osamu Okamura, architect and guarantor of the architecture magazine ERA 21
prof. akad. soch. Jan Ambrůz, head of the sculpture studio at FaVU VUT in Brno
prof. PhDr. et PaedDr. Jindřich Vybíral, CSc., art and architecture historian
MgA. Vendula Šafářová, PhD., architect
Ing. arch. Lucie Langerová, architect and head of the heritage care department at MMO

Evaluation:

The expert jury appreciated the overall increasing quality and level of reconstructions that can be observed in the Opava region over the past years. Public and investor interest in ensuring that reconstructions deliver not only positive functional and operational changes is also growing. Emphasis is also placed on evaluating heritage and historical values, and these efforts are an integral part of planning reconstructions, extensions, and the renewal of heritage-valued structures and complexes. However, it should also be noted that a common denominator of the weaknesses that some realizations suffer from is the absence of the creative involvement of an architect or architectural studios in the planning and implementation of the mentioned interventions. The application of purely construction and design thinking often leads to an underestimation of the potential of heritage and architecturally valuable buildings, which both unnecessarily impoverishes the buildings of their historical values and fails to leverage contemporary architectural principles to create an adequate contemporary contribution in the architectural structure of the reconstructed object or complex. It is also still rather exceptional for an investor to consider searching for adequate solutions through an architectural competition before commencing a reconstruction. Especially in the case of reconstructions funded by public resources, this fact is a serious shortcoming compared to countries with developed architectural cultures.

In view of the above overall evaluation of the nominated buildings, the association Za Opavu awards, based on the recommendations of the expert jury, the following awards to these nominated buildings:

J. M. Olbrich Award for Reconstruction in the years 2012 - 2013
Reconstruction of the Library in Holasovice (nomination 01),
prepared by: Project: STUDIO-D Opava s.r.o., Ing. arch. Lubomír Dehner. Interior in collaboration with Ing. Josef Barták and FORMDESIGN. Client: Municipality of Holasovice. Construction execution: Fichna-Hudeczek.

J. M. Olbrich Award for Reconstruction in the years 2012 - 2013
Reconstruction of a Family House in Mokrých Lazcích (nomination 11),
prepared by: Project - Ing. arch. Jiří Halfar, co-authors: Ing. arch Eliška Macková, Ing. arch. Jiří Stejskalík. Client - Halfar family. Execution - self-help.

Honorary Award
for the entry of new architecture into a historical environment, for the use of brownfield and the preservation of industrial traces in the commercial complex
Reconstruction of SC BREDA & WEINSTEIN (nomination 03),
prepared by: Project - Šafer Hájek architekti spol. s.r.o. - Ing. arch. Oldřich Hájek, Ing. arch. Laco Fecsu, Ing. arch. Olga Kostřížová, Ing. arch. Jakub Koníř, Ing. arch. Radek Toman, Ing. arch. Jaroslav Šafer. Execution - VCES a.s. Investor - BREDA & WEINSTEIN a.s.

Honorary Award
for high-quality craftsmanship and integration of modern exhibition with the historical layout of the monument
Reconstruction of the Historical Exhibition Building of the Silesian Museum (nomination 05),
prepared by: Project - Kubinová + partneři, s.r.o. - Ing. Helena Kubinová, Ing. Zuzana Kočicová, Ing. Daniel Kočica, Ing. Arch. Květoslava Kruková, Lukáš Miketa, ing. Petr Kudlík. Execution - O.K.D.C. mont s.r.o.

Honorary Award
for exemplary approach and sensitive reconstruction and restoration
Reconstruction of the Chapel near the Black Mill in Opava - Komárov (nomination 08),
prepared by: Project - Karel Masek. Execution - DUO-STAV spol.s.r.o. Restoration of murals - Filip Menzel.

Honorary Award
for the pleasing harmony between new and original parts and modest but clean and logical detail and overall solution of the reconstruction of a family house in Slavkov (nomination 10),
prepared by: Project - Ing. Venuše Drochytková, Ing. Jaromír Krejčí. Client - Ing. Venuše Drochytková, Execution - Jan Hulva.

The Audience Award in the online poll was won by
The Fire Station in Melč (nomination 9),
prepared by: Project - STUDIO-D Opava s.r.o., Ing. Jiří Šafránek, Ing. Ondřej Kubesa. Client - Municipality of Melč. Execution - PROSPERITA STAVEBNÍ A KOMERČNÍ, s.r.o.