Extraordinarily Busy General Assembly of the Czech Chamber of Architects 2011

photo: Stanislav Zbyněk

On Saturday, April 16, 2011, a general meeting of the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) took place in Prague, attended by a record number of members of this organization – nearly 360 individuals. In recent years, approximately 200 fewer architects were registered at the meetings. The increased attendance was clearly due to dissatisfaction with the state of society, investment construction, but especially with public procurement and the management of public finances in general. A significant number of authorized individuals, who are very familiar with the illegal and unethical practices regarding public finances, came to express their disgust at the unwillingness of public officials to address this situation and to point out the deteriorating position of architects in society. The fact that the meeting took place in Prague, which is still the most accessible city for most architects, and moreover in the new building of the Faculty of Architecture of ČVUT, one of the most prominent architectural achievements of recent times, significantly contributed to the higher attendance.
The result of the higher attendance is changes in the chamber's bodies and a new significant momentum for its future operations. Although the ČKA has made extraordinary efforts in recent years to improve the situation regarding public procurement for construction and has increasingly become one of the most prominent "players" in the fight against corruption and clientelism, the previous efforts have proven to be insufficient.
The conclusions of the ČKA general meeting include an emphasis on combating the manipulation of public procurement, the establishment of a special group that will help strengthen the chamber's activities even further. Therefore, new significant comments and analyses regarding the unsatisfactory activities of the government, as well as informal initiatives, can be expected in the near future.
The chamber is determined to contribute to society's fight against corruption, offering primarily its unique knowledge and experience with organizing competitions and the construction process. It will seek cooperation with the sister chamber (ČKAIT) to fully join this effort.

CALL FOR CHANGE IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT

In addition to the obligatory agenda items, there was a rich discussion on current issues in the profession. The approval of the Call to politicians, responsible officials, and the public for a change in the state of public procurement in the field of architectural services, titled LET'S AWAKE!, can be considered fundamental.
The ČKA highlights in the text the alarming state of public procurement for architectural services in the Czech Republic, where the winner of the contract is often known in advance, or the only basic criterion for the submissions is the lowest price of the project (which can sometimes be as much as five times lower than the minimum required for a quality project). The ČKA considers research in the preparatory phase of construction, namely in the project preparation, to be uneconomical, as projects often become significantly more expensive due to poor-quality designs. The supposed economic advantage in the project phase is therefore misleading, and such management of public funds is irresponsible and can be considered wasteful. Proper management of entrusted funds should be based on both the total investment costs of the construction and the subsequent operating costs.
The ČKA recommends all investors and the public to advocate for design competitions that provide concrete design proposals (even dozens of proposals) and allow for timely discussions about the intention. In contrast to abroad, such competitions are rare here, and procurers avoid them. The law on public procurement does not support transparency and design competition either. The ČKA points to the critical situation with the intention of continuing to fight for the promotion of this method of public procurement.
A similar appeal was sent by the ČKA from a group of twenty architects who proposed to the Board of the ČKA to establish a working group "Against Corruption," whose opinions they intend to actively promote. In their letter, they draw attention to the current system of public procurement, which "allows for corrupt behavior, waste of public funds, hinders control, and grants power into the hands of unqualified administrators who purposefully manipulate selection procedures."

NEW COMPOSITION OF THE ČKA BODIES

A larger number of authorized individuals ran for the bodies of the Czech Chamber of Architects than in previous years. The pressure to elect their candidates was also exerted by a group of architects signed under the initiative "Against Corruption."
Elected to the Board of the ČKA were: for Prague - Petr Lešek (168 votes), Josef Smutný (119 votes); for Bohemia - Tomáš Bezpalec (110 votes); for Moravia - Petr Janda (101 votes). Since one-third of the board is renewed each time, the following remain in their positions – David Mareš, Vlado Milunić, Jan Vrana, Tomáš Jiránek, Milan Košař, Barbara Potysz, Jan Sapák, Milena Vitoulová.
Elected to the Supervisory Board of the ČKA were: for Prague – Tomáš Vích (138 votes); for Bohemia – Jan Drahozal (135 votes); for Moravia – David Mikulášek (167 votes).
In the Supervisory Board, Miroslav Holubec, Zdeněk Jiran, Josef Panna, Josef Kopečný, Pavel Rada, Jana Kaštánková will continue to work.
Elected to the Chamber Court of the ČKA were – Martin Peterka (161 votes), Jan Kozel (153 votes), Milan Nytra (120 votes). Members of the Chamber Court remain – Aleš Brotánek, Jan Dvořák, Pavel Kopecký, Petr Kučera, Josef Vrana, Václav Šebek.

SIGNING OF THE MEMORANDUM ON THE V4 REALIZATION EXHIBITION

The signing of the Memorandum on the organization of an international exhibition of architectural realizations at the level of the Visegrad Group countries can also be considered an important agenda item. The ČKA, represented by Chairman Jan Vrana, signed the memorandum with representatives of the Slovak Chamber of Architects – Chairman Juraj Šujan, the Association of Polish Architects – Chairman Jerzy Gruchulski, and Vice-Chairman of the Hungarian Architects’ Association László Mikó. The goal of the new exhibition of buildings, which will be composed of the best realizations awarded in national rounds of competitions in individual countries, is to support and promote quality architecture and to bring architects' work closer to the general public. The Czech Republic is expected to enter the international competition next year with a new exhibition called JOSEF, initiated by the Czech Chamber of Architects. In addition to a web portal, selected buildings will be presented in documents of Czech Television and at a gala evening. The public will be involved in the submission of buildings and in voting.