The Liberec Region is searching for the Building of the Year, the competition announced by Karel Hubáček for the twenty-first time

Liberec - The Liberec Region is looking for the best building of the year. The competition, named after the author of the Ještěd hotel and transmitter, architect Karel Hubáček, is being announced for the twenty-first time. Architects, investors, and builders can submit applications until February 23 of next year, said Jan Mikulička, spokesman for the Liberec Region, to ČTK. This year's winner was the reconstruction of the Jirásek Theatre in Česká Lípa, which impressed both the jury and the professional public.

"The competition is organized by the Liberec Region in collaboration with the cities of Liberec, Jablonec nad Nisou, Semily, Turnov, and partners including the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians in Construction, the Czech Union of Civil Engineers, the Union of Entrepreneurs in Construction, and the Technical University in Liberec," added Mikulička. In addition to the Karel Hubáček Award for the realization of a building or the realization of public space and landscape, the jury also selects the best student project, and the public votes for their favorite as well.

This year, the jury assessed 26 buildings in the competition for the title of Building of the Year in the Liberec Region, four more than last year, and ten student projects, two more than last year. The governor Martin Půta (Mayors for the Liberec Region) also awarded his prize: "I decided to award the prize to the apartments of the city of Liberec in Na Žižkově, not only because I find the architectural design to be well executed. They are social apartments, they look good to me, and they are well placed in the area. But it is also somewhat about the issue of rental housing," stated the governor.

In the last three editions of the Building of the Year in the Liberec Region, the main award has always gone to the revitalization of brownfields. In 2020, the new headquarters of the glass company Lasvit in Nový Bor in the Česká Lípa region won, with the jury appreciating the interesting connection of two historic houses from the late 18th century with modern extensions. In previous years, the Liberec coffee roastery with café DOK Nordbeans, which revitalized part of the railway warehouse, also received an award, and the Vratislavice community center IGI was created by converting the former rectory, while the reconstruction of the Liebieg Palace in Liberec also received an award.

This year's winner - the reconstruction of the Jirásek Theatre in Česká Lípa, also succeeded in the 32nd nationwide competition in the field of architecture and construction, Building of the Year 2024, where it was among the 15 awarded. "When we embarked on the reconstruction, our great wish was to create a dignified cultural venue in Česká Lípa, which would serve as a base for local theater-makers, a quality and pleasant cultural space, and I am glad that the professional jury appreciated the effort and the uniqueness of the building," said mayor Jitka Volfová (ANO).