The National Library will announce the winner of the competition for a new building in a week

Prague - The National Library will announce the winning design on Friday, March 2, which emerged from an international architectural competition for the construction of a new building. This was stated today by the library's spokesperson, Eva Štanská. A few days earlier, the jury will evaluate eight architectural proposals that advanced to the second round from several hundred submissions. After the results are announced, an exhibition will be held to showcase the competition entries.
    The library hopes to start construction of the new building, which aims to address the institution's long-term spatial problems, in 2008; according to current estimates, the new building should be completed in Prague's Letná district by 2010. The new building, according to the library management and city representatives, should be a significant contribution to contemporary architecture in the Czech Republic.
    More than 760 architects and firms from various countries applied for the international design competition for the library last July. Ultimately, four hundred interested parties submitted models of the proposed building.
    The total planned costs for the construction of the library are estimated at approximately 1.8 billion crowns, according to calculations from 2004. The planned costs for the competition amount to 26.5 million crowns, of which 600,000 euros (approximately 17 million crowns) is designated for prizes for the participants.
    What kind of building Prague will receive in the form of the new library building is being assessed by an international jury led by the internationally renowned British architect of Iraqi origin, Zaha Hadid. The jury members include French architect Dominique Perrault, the author of the new French National Library, British architect of Czech origin Eva Jiřičná, and Mexican architect José Grinberg. The jury also includes the Mayor of Prague and the library director, and since the construction will take place on the edge of a heritage site, a representative from UNESCO is also included in the jury.