Czech Architecture Awards in Plasy - report from the opening

On Thursday, August 17, 2017, the opening of the exhibition featuring 42 nominated works for the Czech Architecture Award 2017 (ČCA) took place in the outdoor exhibition area of the Center for Architectural Heritage of the National Technical Museum in Plasy near Pilsen. Visitors can view the works in Plasy until November 27, 2017, when the public will learn the names of the finalists and the main award winner during a festive gala evening at the Place for New Art – Jatka 78 in Prague.

The exhibition was officially inaugurated by Ivan Plicka, the chairman of the Czech Chamber of Architects, Karel Ksandr, the general director of the National Technical Museum, and the author of the exhibition concept, Ondřej Beneš. “The showcase offers a good opportunity for both professionals and the general public to view a truly representative selection of what has been built in our country recently, and based on that, to form their own idea about the state of Czech architecture,” Plicka stated. Experts increasingly praise the rise in the level of contemporary Czech architecture.

Works completed between 2012 and 2016 were eligible for submission to the second year of the ČCA competitive showcase, with most submitted works being created in the last two years. Nearly 250 projects competed for participation. Three-quarters of the shortlisted nominations consist of new buildings. Half of these constructions were funded by the public sector. Three emerged from architectural competitions. The nominated realizations will be evaluated by a prestigious seven-member international jury (Marianne Loof – chairwoman of the jury, Matija Bevk, Eelco Hooftman, Jiří Oplatek, Doris Wälchli, Jakub Szczęsny, and Ľubomír Závodný).

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