Lobby: There are few wooden structures in the Czech Republic

Brno - Buildings made of wood are still few in the Czech Republic compared to other European countries, even though they have several advantages over other types of houses. This is claimed by Josef Smola, the chairman of the jury for the Wooden House 2006 competition, the results of which were announced today at the international construction fairs in Brno. However, the trend could change in the coming years, Smola told ČTK.
According to the organizers, the Wooden House competition is the largest competition for architects in the last 20 years. Out of 136 competition proposals, the jury awarded eight apartment houses and 11 family houses. The authors were tasked with creating projects for family houses with a built area of up to 120 square meters with a predominance of wood in the construction, and apartment buildings on selected plots in Malín, Kutnohorsko, Farské, Českolipsko, or Třeboň.
The best buildings were designed by Aleš Břečka and Jan Lefner in the category of apartment houses and Petr Jureček and Michal Kotas in the category of family house, according to the jury. According to Smola, most of the participating architects belong to the younger generation. Modern wooden houses have a tradition mainly in Scandinavian countries; in the Czech Republic, about one percent of apartments are built from wood each year.
The main reason is probably the cost, which is about ten percent higher than that of concrete buildings. Development is also hindered by builders' distrust and the lack of lobby. "On the other hand, an advantage is the renewability of the material, environmental friendliness, and low energy demands," says Smola. According to him, the emphasis on energy conservation will strengthen in the coming years, and wooden buildings could thus find a greater application in Czech conditions.
Despite all the advantages, preparing a project is in many cases more demanding than with conventional constructions. "Wood has different properties; the project takes more time, and more details need to be outlined. Wood is, for example, more susceptible to water," believe the authors of the best wooden family house. The more complicated the design, the often simpler the actual implementation tends to be.
The requirement for the feasibility of construction was one of the main criteria of the competition. It was announced last year by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. "The aim of the competition was to create a database of quality projects for low-energy houses and their subsequent offering to the public," stated Jitka Víchová from the ministry.