Open Letter from Ivan Kroupa to the President of the Czech Chamber of Architects and the Community of Architects

Dear Mr. Borák, dear Mr. Hamana,

I do not understand your jointly written letter, in which you invite me to participate in the Grand Prix with a gallery project in Holešovice, nominated by the Academy of Architecture.

I do not understand it because you are representatives of an association and a society that have discriminated against my architectural office in the professional environment for many years using incorrect, unlawful, and unethical practices from your position of power and uncorrected, uncontrolled capabilities.

I also do not understand your letter because you have repeatedly engaged in behavior over the past years that, I believe, contradicts the ideals of competitions like the Grand Prix and architectural competitions in general.

Therefore, I refuse to participate in the Grand Prix because its organizers, the Czech Chamber of Architects and the Association of Architects, are not a guarantee of its correct course. At the same time, I believe that it is impossible to support and elevate the prestige of organizations whose activities worsen and distort the professional environment.

I substantiate the above claims with these specific actions of the Czech Chamber of Architects and the Association of Architects:

The Association of Architects, organizer of the Grand Prix 2000, did not present the award granted by the international jury at the ceremonial announcement, nor did it include this award in the accompanying catalog of the Grand Prix. It did not sufficiently explain its actions, did not remedy them, did not apologize properly, nor did it reimburse the authors of this project for unnecessary expenses incurred in connection with the presentation in this competition.

The Czech Chamber of Architects, which manages the professional environment in the Czech Republic, refused to address this behavior at a supervisory board meeting, justifying that the Association of Architects is an insignificant association and not a partner for the Czech Chamber of Architects. Today, they co-organize the Grand Prix.

Officials of the Association of Architects at both regional and national levels arrogate to themselves the right to intervene in territorial proceedings from their positions. They issue reports from the standpoint of an "objective professional view," signed and stamped, which hinder the implementation of projects and the work of architects based on personal and indefensible interests of the officials of the Association of Architects.

The Czech Chamber of Architects, responsible for the professional environment, condemned this behavior of the Association of Architects and specific individuals. However, it did not provide any remedy, so the authors of projects criticized by the Association of Architects cannot work in the relevant regions managed by the respective building authorities (the criticism of the Association of Architects was indeed characterized as a recommendation to generally prevent the occurrence of such architecture).
The Czech Chamber of Architects has committed a number of errors that have cost me a lot of money, energy, loss of prestige, and loss of contracts, and has provoked a defensive reaction on my part. This is now a pretext for the Czech Chamber of Architects to eliminate my practice.
At the same time, when inviting me to participate in the Grand Prix, the Czech Chamber of Architects presents information on its website and in letters to building authorities that I am permanently deprived of authorization and may not perform the work of an authorized architect. Such a decision, without proper discussion, without available communication on such a decision, thus without the possibility to appeal and defend myself, but above all without mentioning all contexts, is in my opinion a harassing exercise of the law.

I do not find media coverage pleasant. The Czech Chamber of Architects has left me no other option. At the same time, I believe that besides informing the members of the Academy of Architecture, the jury, and the contestants of the Grand Prix, this text adds (by generalization) to the picture of what the professional environment of the field of architecture in the Czech Republic looks like, who manages it and how. I am convinced that the Grand Prix should be a presentation of the development, the shift of this environment. The current situation does not allow this.

Ivan Kroupa


Note: Along with this letter, I am sending an appeal against the ruling of the professional court to the Czech Chamber of Architects and once again presenting arguments and evidence (which the Czech Chamber of Architects has always refused to address). I hope that the prerequisites will be established for resolving the dispute in accordance with the provisions of disciplinary and conciliatory regulations. Otherwise, I am prepared to file lawsuits against the association and individual responsible officials in general courts. It is up to the Czech Chamber of Architects to decide whether to once again initiate media coverage of these proceedings.

In Prague, May 5, 2008