Viktor Vlach
Euphoric arrival in the city cut short by a nervous woman in a crowded bus. Yelling over a backpack on someone's back, then yelling over the same one being dragged on the ground. From that moment, vigilance was in place, head from the clouds back on the neck. The enormous shared studio convinced about its advantages from the perspective of joint exhibitions. Sometimes I would like to see the buzzing foundry at work. The model of gigantic offices where the lone wolf does not feel too comfortable. Few projects with a sense of crime on a roll of paper hung. Sighs from graduates that it’s not what it used to be. Personal experience from mass education was not so joyful. A balanced account of local versus Brno leading studios. Much has been written about the often-missing texts, analyses, schematics, and studio culture. In assignments, the winged saying "closer shirt than coat" holds true. Topics situated in the Czech basin, with the possibility of studying and feeling the context of the place, prevail. Pleasant surprise from the freshmen, assignments ranging from small daily necessities to utopia, a balanced overview. May their energy last and may they not be ground down by routine. Lots of motivational stickers. A distant memory of my own connecting of points A and B, the completion of the Old Town Hall for less fortunate classmates. A unified and clear theme in the studio hosted by Tomáš Pilař, perhaps an excessive effort to bring the results closer to the aesthetics of their own office. A pity for the missed opportunities in Antonín Novák’s studio, more strictness towards those rascals. A bustling studio of Zdeněk Fránek. Works from which does not breathe the signature of the leader, but the effort for honesty in approach. The number of students speaks for itself. In conclusion, thanks to the organizers for the invitation, to the jurors for the day and night spent together, to the winner for the columbarium and for support during the wobbling dance, and to the operators of the U Hada club for the wise decision to end the party with pepper spray before dawn.

Lukáš Brom
We headed to Liberec in a composition close to the memorial evening of alumni (this applies to 3 out of 5 jurors). In my case, to see the school after 6 years, to see the award that I co-founded, to see Liberec. A drama full of passion (the atmosphere of the school), betrayal (the current building production of the city), and tension (JFK). So, after wiping away the tears, what is the level of the Liberec School of Architecture, its studios, and students?
Overall, generally good. While that is nice, in the end, it is actually disappointing. We are looking for ideas and exceptional solutions! This certainly does not mean copying trends and adopting tried and tested methods. On the contrary, it is a way of working with risk, a path of trial and error. And that requires greater commitment if you do not intend to risk expulsion at the end of each semester. The school must stimulate such an environment, and throughout the entire current first year, it can be seen that there is a foundation to build on. Why does this energy fade away until it becomes almost intangible in the final years? It is clear that maintaining a clear idea is easier in minor architecture than in major architecture. To remind oneself that it is possible and worthwhile even in large projects, Liberec students need only to look at the peak of one hill. Every day, once as a requirement!
Well, dear ones, how many of them looked up from Kousal under the hill to Hubáček on the hill? Not many - 33 pink slips from the jury are evidence of that, 7 of which as a shortlist were easy and the winner - Milada Vorzová's project emerged without a vote, only after discussion! It is unequivocal, not trivial. It is confident, bold, but not arrogant. And above all, it is an interpretation of true thought, of opinion. How valuable in today’s era of high-speed chatter.

Ondřej Busta
Return to the scene of the crime as one of the fathers of JFK – but the father is always uncertain. A quick realization that the often-repeated similar evaluations of juries in previous years - high standards but overall a gray average, is true... This seemingly contradictory statement precisely captures graduates' perceptions of their alma mater. It must be the best, not just good. That it has never been? Impossible… And what isn’t can = must be. And today? The problem lies in the lack of vision, the separation of artistic directions, the absence of faculty interdisciplinary communication and mutual enrichment, does it even make sense this way? And yet still a quality breeding ground in Liberec and not just an ordinary Faculty of Architecture that would blend in with other Czech technical schools, with no standard in grinding. And why does something emerge in the first year that disappears towards the older years? A desire to experiment, to search, to not be afraid to go alone, to not be led, to not be seduced... Don't fly low! By the way, a final presentation is not final without sketches and working models...

PS: it is incredible how JFK has grown from the first year or rather the zero year when there was nothing up to today’s authorial notebooks, sponsors, a feast... respect to all creators, past and future!