<translation>The Czech Chamber of Architects Award 2009 for Emil Přikryl</translation>

Emil Přikryl portraited by Rostislav Švácha on the roof of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague (photo Pavel Nasadil, 2004).

The Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) has decided to award the ČKA Honor in 2009 to Professor Emil Přikryl, a significant architect, educator, and thinker, who is said to have sacrificed his own creation for the teaching of new generations of architects. Among his works, the Galerie Benedikta Rejta in Louny captured the interest of both the Czech and foreign professional public, and it is considered the most significant building of the post-revolutionary era in our country. The award will be presented in the spring of next year.
      The Honor of the Czech Chamber of Architects has been awarded annually since 2000 to a significant personality in the field who has made a notable mark in the modern history of Czech architecture with their work and moral credit. A five-member expert jury composed of leading Czech architects and theorists evaluated twenty-one nominated personalities this year, from which the well-known Brno architect Viktor Rudiš and Professor Emil Přikryl progressed to the final selection.
      Professor Emil Přikryl (*1945) studied at the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague and then at the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design under František Cubr. In 1969, he became a member of the legendary Liberec School SIAL, an exceptional association of young creative architects led by Karel Hubáček, the author of the transmitter on Ještěd. He also worked with Hubáček at Stavoprojekt in Liberec. In the 1980s, Emil Přikryl primarily focused on exhibition concepts, exhibiting both domestically and abroad, and he also went through Professor Kleihues's studio in Berlin.
      Since 1989, he has been intensively engaged in teaching activities, being appointed associate professor in 1991 and professor at the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague in 1991. He has significantly influenced the thinking of the young generation of architects, and most of his graduates belong to the leading Czech creators. "In a figurative sense, it can be said that Emil Přikryl, through his graduates, further helps to push the boundaries of the quality of architectural creation in the Czech Republic. He works rather as an experimenter, systematically exploring the meaning and essence of architecture," it is stated in the jury's reasoning. He also engages in discussions on current topics; most recently, together with students, he addressed the new building of the National Library of the Czech Republic and the prevention of the commercialization of Klementinum. Emil Přikryl receives deep respect and esteem among the professional public.
      Among his realizations, we can recall the family house of Věra Chytilová in Prague 7-Troja from the mid-70s; attention is also deserved by the competition design for the extension of the Old Town Hall from 1987. However, the conversion of the former brewery into the Galerie Benedikta Rejta in Louny, completed in 1998, is fundamental in his work. As in other projects, there is evident a relationship to history and art, to the purity of shapes and forms, and to a clear, timeless concept.