The ČKA Award for the year 2026 was won by Ladislav Lábus

Since 2000, the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) has been honoring distinguished individuals who have significantly contributed to modern Czech architecture through their work, professional achievements, and moral integrity. This year, Professor Ladislav Lábus has been inducted into the metaphorical "hall of fame" – a unique architect and educator who has fundamentally influenced architectural education at the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical University (ČVUT), and a respected figure who has defended the architectural profession and its mission for over thirty years as an active member of the ČKA.
The ČKA award will be ceremoniously presented at the nomination evening of the Czech Architecture Award on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at the CAMP in Prague.

“The Czech Chamber of Architects honors Professor Ladislav Lábus for his exceptionally cultured and timeless architectural work, for his lifelong defense of the values of quality architecture, for his tireless pedagogical and professional efforts, and for his personal integrity, with which he has co-created the cultural environment of Czech architecture for decades.”
Candidates for the award are nominated annually by the professional public. From the submitted proposals, laureates are selected by a jury, which this year included architect Alena Mičeková (chairwoman), architect and ČKA chairman Jan Kasl, landscape architect and head of the Department of Landscape Architecture at FA ČVUT Zuzana Štemberová, editor-in-chief of the magazine ERA21 Filip Landa, and architecture and design theorist Adam Štěch.
“This year's decision-making of the ČKA award jury took place against the backdrop of an exceptionally large number of nominated personalities whose lifelong work has fundamentally shaped the form of Czech architecture and the architectural profession itself. Choosing the laureate was therefore not only an acknowledgment of individual projects but primarily a recognition of the long-term cultural, pedagogical, and societal contributions to architecture as a public service,” said jury chairwoman Alena Mičeková.

Architect who understands the place
Since the 1990s, Professor Ladislav Lábus has been one of the leading figures in contemporary Czech architecture and is also one of the most prominent representatives of the so-called Czech rigor. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was among the close collaborators of Professor Alena Šrámková, with whom he designed, for example, the Lužiny Shopping Center. Since 1991, he has been running his own office, Lábus AA – Architectural Studio.
His work is characterized by extraordinary discipline of expression, a deep understanding of the place and clients' needs, and the ability to conduct a sensitive dialogue with the historic environment. In his buildings, he has long shown that architecture can be contemporary yet humble, firm in its views while also being refined towards the surrounding world. In an era of fleeting gestures and rapidly changing trends, his work represents an exceptionally consistent and culturally anchored stance on architecture. Among the most notable realizations of Ladislav Lábus are the Vyšehrad Care Service House in Český Krumlov, the iconic reconstruction and expansion of the Langhans Palace in Prague, the renovation of the functionalist Palička Villa, the renovation and extension of an apartment building on Na Smetance Street, the reconstruction of Edison’s transformer station in Prague, and the conversion of the Karlov Hotel in Benešov. Many of these projects have received several awards, and three of them (DPS Vyšehrad, Langhans, Hotel Karlov) were nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award. Noteworthy are also several exceptional villas and family homes, such as the villa in Vonoklasy and the villa in Nespeky.

Educator who teaches critical thinking
However, his contribution extends far beyond his own architectural work. Since 1990, he has significantly influenced the form of architectural education at the Faculty of Architecture of ČVUT, where he serves as a teacher, head of the Department of Design III, and was the dean of the faculty from 2014 to 2022. He has imparted not only professional experience to generations of students but also the ethos of architectural responsibility, intellectual honesty, and critical thinking.

Authority that defends professional culture
His long-standing activity within the Czech Chamber of Architects is also significant, of which he has been an active member since its founding, in which he participated. He has served as a member of the Disciplinary Court and as a member of the board of directors, and he has been a long-standing member and since 2022 the chair of the Authorization Council appointed by the Ministry of Regional Development. As the chair of the ČKA education working group, he has long systematically addressed issues of the quality of architectural education, notification of study programs, and recognition of qualifications in the European context. In addition to education, he has long addressed issues related to buildings for social services and the topic of housing estate renovation. It is also noteworthy that throughout his career, he has served as a respected intermediary between architects, the public, and various institutions.

The international reach of his work is confirmed by the fact that he was accepted as an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA – The American Institute of Architects). In 2014, he received the Ministry of Culture Award for Architecture.

“Ladislav Lábus uniquely combines top authorial work with an extraordinary influence on education, the professional and institutional environment, and the cultivation of public debate about architecture. His significance lies not only in the quality of individual buildings but also in the ability to shape the form of architectural education and professional culture in the long term. From the jury's perspective, he represents an exceptionally cohesive and respected personality,” summarized the jury's decision Alena Mičeková.

Selected works of Ladislav Lábus
- Lužiny Shopping Center, together with Alena Šrámková at the Project Institute of Construction of the Capital City of Prague (completed 1991, Prague)
- Vyšehrad Care Service House (1997, Český Krumlov)
- Villa in Vonoklasy (1998, Vonoklasy)
- Villa in Roudnice nad Labem (2001, Roudnice nad Labem)
- Reconstruction of Langhans Palace (2002, Prague)
- Reconstruction of Palička Villa (2003, Prague)
- Family house with studio in Podbabě (2004, Prague)
- Family house in Řevnice (2006, Řevnice)
- Reconstruction of the Riding Hall of Prague Castle (2007, Prague)
- Reconstruction of Edison’s Transformer Station (2007, Prague)
- Hotel Karlov, together with Jiří Poláček and Václav Škarda – Atelier K2 (2008, Benešov)
- Villa in Nespeky (2008, Nespeky)
- Reconstruction of Lída Babková-Baarová Villa (2008, Prague)
- Apartment buildings Hanspaulka – New Villas (2009, Prague)
- Family house in Záběhlice (2010, Prague)
- Renovation of Lužiny Shopping Center, together with Alena Šrámková (2014, Prague)
- Reconstruction and extension of the apartment building Na Smetance 16 (2015, Prague)
- Villa in Matějská (2018, Prague)
- Prayer House of the Brethren Church in Čelákovice (2019, Čelákovice)
- Southern entrance to the Botanical Garden (2020, Prague-Troja)
- Apartment building Pod Havránkou (2022, Prague-Troja)
- Apartment buildings Minimax, Belárie II, together with Chalupa Architects (2022, Prague)
- Reconstruction and extension of the wine house at the vineyard of St. Klára (2024, Prague-Troja)
- Apartment buildings 02, 04, 09, Smíchov City, together with Igloo Architects (2024, Prague)
- Apartment building with a gallery, Malá Strana (2024, Prague)