Thanks to the construction boom, more interesting buildings are being created in the Plzeň region

Extension of the school club in Plzeň-Újezd

Plzeň - Thanks to the revival of construction in the last two years, more interesting buildings were created last year in the Plzeň Region than in the previous years of the industry recession. The 17th annual competition for the Building of the Year of the Plzeň Region 2019 therefore expects more applications, which municipalities, investors, builders, and owners can submit starting today. Last year, there were 32. The competition raises the quality of buildings in the region, and designers and builders consider it prestigious, proudly showcasing their achievements. This was stated to ČTK by representatives of the Union of Entrepreneurs in Construction Milan Froněk and the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians Luděk Vejvara.

"There are many projects to work on, it hasn't been like this for ten years. Many work requests have to be declined,” said Vejvara. Similar to construction companies, there is a shortage of workers. "Contract prices are now reaching current prices according to the nationwide price list,” Froněk noted. Due to a sufficient number of contracts, firms are no longer competing to drive prices below costs.

The 32 buildings submitted last year were, according to one of the seven expert judges Miloslav Michalec, significantly more than in other regions, and this year he expects interest to increase again. "This is a competition with a history; awarded buildings are increasingly of high quality and represent the region,” said Froněk. According to Vejvara, winning is a significant prestige for architects and civil engineers. The competition helps raise the quality of construction in the region, which has very good architecturally and purposefully built structures compared to other regions.

According to Plzeň's mayor Martin Baxa (ODS), the competition supports a quality exhibition in the region thanks to cooperation with the private sector. However, he believes that construction would be better if the Czech Republic finally had quality construction law. He sees the new footbridge over the Radbuz in Litice, the children's pool in the area on Slovany, and the tram line to Borská pole as interesting buildings in the city. Governor Josef Bernard (ČSSD) mentioned the reconstruction of the railway bridge over the Hracholusky dam and the four-kilometer railway tunnel behind Plzeň. Deputy Governor Marcela Krejsová (ODS) then discussed the vocational training hall at the regional construction school in Plzeň.

The deadline for application submissions for buildings in seven categories is March 27, and the winners will be announced on June 9. "The jury will visit all the buildings and talk with investors and often with designers as well. We manage to maintain that half of the nominated buildings are from Plzeň and the other half from the countryside,” said Michalec.

The buildings of the Plzeň Region 2018 were the extension of the school club in Plzeň-Újezd, the modernization of the Rokycany - Plzeň railway line, and the renovation of Lobezský Park in Plzeň. The jury awarded main prizes in three of the seven categories.