Exhibition YAA 2013 October 8 - 30 at the Urban Center in Brno

Jury Award, “View Bench 'Grosseto' (Authors: MgA. Vít Šimek, MgA. Štěpán Řehoř / H3T architects)

This year's edition of the Young Architect Award competition for architects under 33 has its winners. The best works were announced on September 18 at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery in Prague in the presence of the competition's patron Eva Jiřičná. Of the 72 projects submitted on the theme “Pain Points of Cities and Towns,” 14 finalists impressed the jury by significantly addressing real architectural problems in urban areas. Notable projects included proposals for transforming the desolate surroundings of the Nádraží Holešovice metro station and revitalizing the banks of the Svratka River in Brno. The competition was held as part of the accompanying program of the FOR ARCH international building fair.

“This year's theme was, as in previous editions, public space. However, the jury and the organizer left it to the participants to identify specific problematic locations. To discover, see differently, change, and have fresh opinions are abilities clearly associated with youth - and young architects cannot remain on the sidelines in this regard,” says the chairman of the expert jury Tomáš Pilař (Kuba & Pilař architects). “It wasn't easy to select the best project from high-quality and difficult-to-compare works. To fulfill this year's competition motto, we established as a measure for evaluation the discovery of a place and the utilization of its hidden potential,” Pilař adds. The competition took place in two categories, the first titled "Places - School Projects" offered specific assignments prepared by representatives of towns and municipalities. The second category, "Initiation Studies," allowed participants to choose their own problematic locality.

Young People Were Interested in Prague, Brno, and Small Towns

The highest award was given for the work on improving the surroundings of the metro station Nádraží Holešovice in Prague. The area of the former panel factory is being transformed into an urban quarter that references the industrial past of the site. A pair of Slovak authors focused on Brno, earning high praise from the jury for their surprising and functional idea of revitalizing the banks of the Brno River into a space for rest and relaxation for the city's residents. The small towns also captured the attention of young creators and the jury, as they too face urban planning challenges. The competition featured studies proposing original expansions of the historical centers of Litomyšl and Polička. The second mentioned work earned top honors from the jury in several categories.
The public will have the opportunity to become acquainted with the competition projects during a traveling exhibition, which starts in September and concludes in April 2014.

Ideas Should Not End Up in a Drawer

Some project assignments came from the local governments of participating towns and municipalities. The combination of real problems and original solutions proposed by the young generation of architects can, according to the organizers, help pave the way for correcting these problematic places. Ideas from architects at the beginning of their careers are positively evaluated by Libor Brož from Beton Brož, a company that repeatedly supports the competition: “Youth is passionate, innovative, and hasn't been distorted by the surroundings. They are not afraid to stand by their dreams, fantasies, and goals; they simply pursue their path, and that is what resonates with the spirit of our company.”

Overview of Winning Works:

• Beton Brož Young Architect Award 2013 in the category Initiation Studies + CEGRA Award
“Prefabricated Compact City” (Author: MgA. Šimon Brabec)

• Holcim Czech Republic Award
“Small Typologies in Polička” (Author: Bc. Tereza Scheibová)

• Architect Josef Hlávka Award
“Public Art Garden” (Author: Lukáš Koubek)

• Rector of Czech Technical University Award for School Work in the category Places - School Projects
“Revitalization of the Svratka River” (Authors: Bc. Martin Machala, Bc. Jana Matlovičová)

• Rector of Technical University of Liberec Award for School Work in the category Initiation Studies
“Roudnice Hinterland” (Authors: Bc. Jan Kurz, Bc. Lenka Pechanová)

• Modern Community Magazine Award for Contribution to Strengthening Neighborliness of Local Residents
“Small Typologies in Polička” (Author: Bc. Tereza Scheibová)

• Archiweb Award for Progressive and Innovative Approach to Solutions
“Small Typologies in Polička” (Author: Bc. Tereza Scheibová)

• Jury Award
“View Bench 'Grosseto' (Authors: MgA. Vít Šimek, MgA. Štěpán Řehoř / H3T architects)

• Public Vote Award (public voting on the competition portal www.yaa.cz)
1+1>2 Synergy Milešovka (Authors: Bc. Karel Loupal, Bc. Kateřina Stiehlová)