The renovation of Čiper's villa won the highest award in the Building of the Year competition in the Zlín Region

Otrokovice – The reconstruction of the Zlín Čiperova villa has received the highest award in the Construction of the Year competition of the Zlín Region 2026 – Grand Prix of architect Pavel Novák. The Cultural and Creative Center project of the Zlín Region in the Čiperova villa was also awarded the Governor of the Zlín Region Radim Holiš's Award. A total of 58 buildings and projects entered the competition. The awards were presented this evening to representatives of the buildings at the Otrokovice Beseda.

"When we were deciding on the future of the Čiperova villa, we saw its enormous potential to become a new cultural and social point of life in the regional city, and even the first half year of its operation after the renovation confirmed our view. I thank everyone who participated in the year-and-a-half-long and costly restoration of the villa, totaling more than 200 million crowns,” stated Holiš (ANO). The investor for the repair was the Zlín Region, which owns the villa.

The villa received a new roof and facade, and the interior has also been modified. The villa of Dominik Čipera, a former director of the Baťa company, Zlín's mayor, and Czechoslovak minister, was built in 1942 according to the design of architect Vladimír Karfík. After 1945, the Čipera family had to leave. Since 1947, the building served as a children's home, and until recently, it housed a facility for children in need of immediate assistance. In 2002, the villa and its garden were listed as immovable cultural monuments.

The submitted buildings were evaluated by an expert jury. "This year's edition of the Construction of the Year Zlín Region competition can also be considered very successful. We evaluated 58 buildings represented in all seven competition categories. I must state that the evaluation is becoming more challenging year by year. The quality of buildings, their architectural and aesthetic solutions, and their social contributions reach such a level that practically every one of them deserves recognition,” said jury chair Dagmar Nová. The Grand Prix of architect Pavel Novák is not awarded annually, only for outstanding achievements.

The main award in the category of civic amenities went to the rescue and breeding center for lions at the Zlín zoo. In the category of Residential Buildings, the Mostní Residence in Zlín succeeded, while the main prize among family homes was awarded to the Nové Jaktáře Residence in Uherské Hradiště. Among industrial and agricultural buildings, the jury awarded the main prize to the new chocolate factory Janek in Hradčovice in the Uherskohradiště region.

In the category of transport, engineering, and ecological constructions, the bridge construction on D55 in the Napajedla – Babice section succeeded. The main prize in the category of Development Project Implementation for towns and villages went to the Sportcenter Slopné. In the category of constructions taken care of by companies from the region outside the Zlín Region, the main award was given to the town hall tower in Znojmo and the revitalization of the Těšín Theatre in Český Těšín. The Ministry of Industry and Trade award was granted to the extension of the production and administrative building of the Dioflex company in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm.