Architectural competition seeks ideas for Prague's waterfronts

Prague - An international architectural competition seeks ideas for transforming the Vltava riverbank in Prague. The competition is taking place as part of the reSITE festival, which will be held in May in Prague and aims to initiate a discussion about changes in urban planning leading to improvements in public spaces in Prague and throughout the Czech Republic.
     "We want to obtain an architectural vision for the future of the Vltava from the participants. Judges will focus on an interdisciplinary approach that connects urbanism, architecture, art, landscape architecture, urban ecology, and other fields," says Martin Barry, director of the reSITE festival. The competition also involves the Architectural Institute in Prague (ARCHIP).
     The Prague city hall also wants to address the future of the riverbanks and plans to terminate contracts with tenants of the riverbanks, as it is dissatisfied with their management. The city wants to manage the riverbanks itself. According to Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS), the managers do not sufficiently capitalize on the attractiveness of the river and do not provide enough recreational activities for the residents of Prague.
     The subject of the competition is the Vltava riverbank and its immediate surroundings, defined by two bridges - the railway bridge to the south and the Libeň bridge to the north. This long stretch of the river has diverse characteristics and quality on both banks, which gives participants the opportunity to select and process a wide range of places or areas. The proposals should leverage the current potential of the river, define the connection between the river and the metropolis, and aim to create attractive public spaces that come alive with various activities.
     Winners of the competition will receive awards of 3000, 2000, and 1000 euros (approximately 75,000, 50,000, and 25,000 crowns). The international competition is open to all interested parties regardless of age or profession. The winner will be chosen by an international jury. Czech experts on the jury will include Jakub Cigler, Adam Gebrian, Igor Kovačević, and Jan Skalický.
     Competition conditions and the complete brief with all materials are available on the festival's website www.resite.cz/competition. Proposals prepared in English must be submitted only in digital form, with a deadline of May 14.