The chairman of the Czech Chamber of Architects has been re-elected Jan Kasl

Prague - Jan Kasl was re-elected as the chairman of the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA). The architect and former mayor of Prague has held the position since April 2019. This was announced today by the chamber's spokesperson Tereza Zemanová. After the election on Saturday, Petr Lešek remains the first vice-chairman, and Stanislav Žerava is the second vice-chairman.

The general assembly of the ČKA approved the chamber's priorities for the upcoming period on April 22, which include promoting architecture and systematic care for the built environment. The chamber will strive for the awarding of public contracts with an emphasis on quality. It also aims to focus on unfavorable contracts for work that are often presented to architects by public procurers. A programmatic priority is also the lifelong education of architects focused on sustainability and climate change.

The ČKA wants to be a partner to the government in assisting Ukraine with its reconstruction. It will also address the heritage law, fees, and standards of project documentation. Attention will also be directed towards the position of city architects and the clarification of the conditions governing their activities.

Seventy-one-year-old architect Kasl is also the chairman of the ČKA working group for legislation. He represents the chamber in working groups involved in the process of recodifying public construction law. He graduated in architecture and urbanism from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Czech Technical University in 1976 and has been a practicing architect since 1977. He currently leads the JK Architekti studio. From 1998 to 2002, he was the mayor of Prague.

He serves as a member of administrative and academic councils, forums, advisory boards, and committees, and is active in the area of strategic and spatial planning in Prague, residential and commercial construction. Recently, he has also been addressing the landscaping and urban integration of large transport projects into the city's structure. In his designs, he advocates for a comprehensive approach based on the principles of long-term sustainability and quality of the built environment.

The ČKA is a self-governing professional organization with transferred performance of state administration. Since the beginning of 2015, the chamber has been the official point for comments on laws, legal regulations, and directives pertaining to the profession of architect. Since January 2016, it has organized the Czech Architecture Award competition showcase and also organizes, for example, a diploma thesis showcase.