This year's Architect of the Year is Josef Pleskot, the author of the revitalization of the post-industrial district of Lower Vítkovice

The award for exceptional contribution to architecture in the last five years, Architect of the Year award, goes to Josef Pleskot. Among his works known to the broader public are, for example, the town hall in Benešov, the office building Palmovka-Park in Prague - Libeň, and the multifunctional aula Gong in Ostrava. The title of Architect of the Year was awarded to Pleskot by the expert jury for his current project of revitalization of the unused industrial buildings of Vítkovice Ironworks in Ostrava. The Architect of the Year award is presented annually at the FOR ARCH construction fair.

„It is an honorary title awarded annually to an individual who has excelled, or has long excelled, in the field of architecture and who significantly contributes to its good reputation. It is an extraordinary and unique award in our country. It excellently complements the mosaic of other awards for architectural achievements or lifetime works,” states the significance of the award, the chairman of the expert jury Zdeněk Fránek (FUA TU in Liberec, Fránek Architects). Alongside him, the jury included Antonín Novák (ARCHITEKTI D.R.N.H.), Michal Kohout (FA ČVUT in Prague, Housing Quality Center o.s., UNIT architects s.r.o.), Regina Loukotová (ARCHIP, GEM architects), and Osamu Okamura (reSITE, ARCHIP, ERA21).


The Architect of the Year 2014 became Josef Pleskot for his design of The World of Technology – science and technology center in Ostrava, which is part of a large project to revitalize the Vítkovice Ironworks area. “We awarded the prize for a continuing series of architectural realizations of almost all scales and briefs, which undoubtedly belong to the industry's peak of what is being created in the Czech Republic. This year, primarily for the unique revitalization of the post-industrial quarter of the Lower Vítkovice area with a vision of linking creative education and industry, aimed at redefining the identity of a long-neglected part of the city,” the jurors agreed. The proposed Science center aims to support the prestige of science and research in the public eye, change the approach to technical fields, their popularization, and accessibility to the general public. The building is set on the footprint of an isosceles triangle with a rounded right angle, featuring a 125 m long and 12.5 m high mirrored main facade. The science center will offer visitors a cinema with three-dimensional projection, classrooms for teaching, seminar rooms, and laboratories, as well as a lecture and theater hall. The grand opening of the building will take place on September 26, 2014.

The short list for this year’s award also included Adam Gebrian for significant popularization of the topic of architecture, newly even in Respekt magazine, Petr Hájek for the Krkonošské center for environmental education in Vrchlabí, and Martin Rajniš for the exhibition Hut of Architecture at the DOX Center of Contemporary Art in Prague. The only nominated woman was Pavla Melková for the Manual for the Creation of Public Spaces of the Capital City of Prague. The holder of last year's title of Architect of the Year was Antonín Novák for the National Center for Garden Culture – Horticulture in Kroměříž.
More information: www.architektroku.cz

The Architect of the Year award is given to an individual or individuals who, over the past 5 years, have significantly contributed to architecture in the Czech Republic through their innovative approach by concrete creative or organizational acts in the field of house design, urban building, and landscape creation, as well as through theoretical, educational, promotional, publishing, and popularization work. The fundamental criteria for assessing the awarded creators are mainly the contribution of their expert work from the perspective of quality public space, overall societal development, artistic or professional level of work, technological and material innovation, environmental sustainability, etc. The Architect of the Year award is annually announced by ABF, a.s., the organizer of the FOR ARCH construction fair, with the aim of promoting quality and professional as well as civic engagement in the field of architecture in the Czech Republic.