Lesy ČR announced a competition for architects for a new headquarters

Hradec Králové - The state enterprise Lesy České republiky (Forests of the Czech Republic) today announced an international architectural competition for the design of a wooden headquarters of the enterprise in Hradec Králové. The estimated costs for the construction of the headquarters, parking lot, and public park amount to 470 million crowns excluding VAT. If everything goes according to plan, the center could be completed in 2020, according to the company spokesperson Eva Jouklová. Lesy ČR owns half of the forests in the country, and the enterprise reports profits in the billions of crowns each year.

"We want to build an administrative center with low energy consumption, which will be an exemplary demonstration of the use of wood in construction and renewable energy sources," said Václav Lidický, the production and technical director of Lesy ČR. According to Lesy ČR, there is currently no similar wooden administrative building for about 200 employees in the Czech Republic.

The architectural competition will consist of two rounds. "The conditions (of the competition) have been approved by the Czech Chamber of Architects. We expect a great deal of interest," Lidický stated. An international jury will evaluate the economic, energy, and architectural aspects of the building. The chairwoman of the jury was elected as the Danish architect Dorte Mandrup-Poulsen, and the mayor of Hradec Králové, Zdeněk Fink, is also a member of the jury.

The first round of the competition is expected to conclude this October, with five proposals proceeding to the second round. "In February 2017, we will announce the results and begin negotiations with the winner of the competition about the assignment of the contract for the project based on their proposal," Lidický stated. Lesy ČR will subsequently announce a public tender for the construction company.

The new center is meant to replace the current inadequate building made of panels from the 1970s. The building, which was previously the headquarters of the East Bohemian State Forests, is considered statically unstable, lacks insulation, does not have air conditioning, and most offices do not meet today's standards.

Lesy ČR has been based in Hradec Králové since its inception on January 1, 1992.