The Architect of the Year 2024 award was won by Roman Koucký, the author of the metropolitan plan for Prague

photo: Jindřich Nosek

Prague - The award for outstanding contribution to architecture in the last five years, the Architect of the Year 2024 award, was received by architect and urban planner Roman Koucký, who is, among other things, the author of the Mariánský Bridge in Ústí nad Labem and participated in the design of the Troja Bridge in Prague and the Prague Metropolitan Plan. He received the award today at the Centre for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP) in Prague. The jury awarded an honorary recognition to architect and heritage conservationist Karel Kuča, and the Architect for the Community 2024 award was presented to the city architect of Kolín, David Mateásko.

The competition was organized by ABF for the sixteenth time this year. The Architect of the Year award is given to individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to architecture in the Czech Republic over the past five years.

This year, five architects or studios reached the finals. In addition to Koucký, they included architect Tomáš Hradečný, the studio bod architekti comprised of Vojtěch Sosna, Jakub Straka, and Jáchym Svoboda, the studio Ellement architects established by Jitka Ressová, Hana Maršíková, Helena Víšková, and Jan Pavézka, and the studio of Lukáš Ehl and Tomáš Koumar named Ehl & Koumar Architekti.

Koucký initially started as a carpenter, then studied at a secondary technical school and the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical University in Prague (FA ČVUT). He worked at the Project Institute of the City of Prague and was a teaching assistant to architect Emil Přikryl at the School of Architecture of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. In 1991, he founded an architectural office, and a year later co-founded the publishing house Zlatý řez. Currently, he lectures and leads a studio at FA ČVUT.

Since 2012, he led the Office of the Metropolitan Plan and subsequently was also the director of the City Planning Section at the Institute of Planning and Development of the City of Prague. In the past, there were disputes surrounding the new plan, which led its main author Koucký to temporarily step down. He then returned to lead the team after winning a tender. The preparation of the plan, which began during the tenure of Mayor Tomáš Hudeček (then from TOP 09), has faced delays; the plan was originally intended to come into effect in 2020. In 2021, Koucký was dismissed again, and he is currently collaborating on the metropolitan plan externally.

The metropolitan plan is one of the documents that determines construction in Prague and, in contrast to the current zoning plan, addresses issues such as height regulation. It considers not only the functional use of the area but also the character of the area and urban neighborhoods. It emphasizes the structure of the city.