The best new buildings in Opava are a family house and a funeral hall

Funeral Hall in Otice

Opava - In the Opava regional architectural competition, the J. M. Olbrich Award, the jury awarded two main prizes this year. The winner was a family house in Chvalíkovice designed by Opava architects Martin Matern and Adam Weczerek from the studio WMA architects, and the funeral hall in Otice by the Opava studio STUDIO-D also won. The award was presented to the architects by the association Za Opavu, which has been organizing the competition for 11 years. Tomáš Skalík, a member of the association, said this to ČTK.

In the case of the family house in Chvalíkovice, the jury positively assessed the cohesive architectural concept that permeates all the details. "It is a modest house with a limited budget for a young family. Behind the modest exterior lies a house with a strong atmosphere that creates a sense of home," Skalík stated. Regarding the highest-rated public building, he highlighted how the authors dealt with the limitations of the site. "The funeral hall in Otice is an example of an adequate public investment. The result is a small building with quality details that humbly complements the environment of the historic cemetery," he noted.

This year, the expert jury decided on the award for a new building constructed in the years 2015-2016. The seven-member jury evaluated 17 nominations, which included seven buildings funded from public sources and 10 private investments. "We were pleased with the number and quality of most nominated buildings. We appreciated projects that have a regional level, respect the context of the given locality, possess convincing architectural and layout solutions, and feature quality details," said Skalík.

The competition, established in 2007, is named after a significant native of Opava who significantly influenced the European Art Nouveau wave and was one of the most respected architects of his time. Olbrich, among other works, is the author of the exhibition pavilion Wiener Sezession in Vienna, seven villas, and the building of studios with exhibition halls in the artistic colony in Darmstadt, Germany. In one year, the association awards new constructions, while in the next, it recognizes renovations.