Results of the Rockhouse 2008 competition

Winning design in the Project category

Prague – Organizers of the architectural competition ‘Rockhouse – Czech Low-Energy House of the Year’ announced the results of its second edition today. The winner of the main category is Tomáš Vanický for his comprehensive mastery of the design of a residential building made of mixed masonry and wooden construction. The jury was impressed by his division of the energy-efficient passive house into two apartment sections. First place in the category of student work went to Michal Bednář, a student of the Faculty of Architecture at ČVUT, for a unique and inventive solution for a kindergarten design in an energy-efficient standard. In both categories, the jury also exceptionally awarded several other works with honorable mentions for their remarkable ideas related to the competition's theme. The jury evaluated 44 designs, which is twice as many as last year. The aim of the competition is to honor and bring to the public the creation of distinctive Czech architecture in connection with the use of modern thermal and fire insulation materials in the design of environmentally sensitive houses.

Winning design in the Student Work category

“The increase in the quality of competition entries compared to the first year was clearly evident,” says Jan Tywoniak, professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at ČVUT in Prague and chairman of the jury. “In competitions, just as in modern practice, building-energy calculations are becoming an increasingly significant element in the process of designing a building,” adds Tywoniak. The seven-member expert jury was composed of representatives from the Ministry of the Environment, the Architects' Association, the Faculty of Architecture at VUT Brno, the Faculty of Civil Engineering at ČVUT in Prague, the Passive House Centre, and Rockwool. They assessed the competition entries primarily based on the harmony of functional elements with the design of the building, its integration into the landscape, including the suitability and extent of the use of thermal insulation and fire protection systems concerning the overall energy needs of the house.

The competition is organized by Rockwool, in collaboration with the Czech Chamber of Architects. Both architects, designers, implementation companies, and investors, as well as students and student groups with projects for energy-efficient houses and buildings, can participate. In addition to quality architectural solutions, a condition for success in the competition is also the consideration of trends in modern energy-efficient living and the application of thermal insulation and fire protection systems from the Rockwool brand. More information about the competition, including photographic documentation, can be found at www.rockhouse.cz.

Project Category:

• 1st place: Ing. Tomáš Vanický, Ing. Tomáš Krupa, co-author: Ing. Vladimír Smudek - Residential Building "B" - Vostelčice
• 2nd place: Ing. arch. Pavel Jura - Family House Tvarožná
• 3rd place: Filip Titl - Family House: vertical, energy-efficient, houzzly
• honorable mention: Ing. Bc. František Denk, FA ČVUT, co-author: Bc. Veronika Poláková - Modular Element Housing
• honorable mention: Ondřej Chybík, FA VUT Brno, co-author: Martin Poruba - Low-Energy House Rockwool

Project Category – Student Works:

• 1st place: Michal Bednář, FA ČVUT - Kindergarten
• 2nd place: Dušan Řezanina, FAST VUT Brno, Kateřina Špidlová, FA VUT Brno - Wooden Low-Energy House
• 2nd place: Bc. Ondřej Novosad, FA VUT Brno, co-author: Bc. Zuzana Janoušková - Housing without commitments
• 3rd place: Michal Krištof, FA VUT Brno - Rockwool Family House
• honorable mention: David Přikryl, FA VUT Brno- Family House with Commercial Ground Floor
• honorable mention: Aleš Javůrek, FA VUT Brno, co-author: Jiří Bužek - Facility for Temporary Accommodation
• honorable mention: Veronika Dobešová, FA VUT Brno, co-author: Gabriela Blažková - House on a slope

> All awarded projects can be found at www.rockhouse.com.