The reconstruction of the city baths in Plzeň was supported by both chambers.

In April of this year, several dozen architects from Plzeň published an open letter to the governor and representatives of the Plzeň Region, in which the signatories urged the regional leadership to reconsider its decision not to announce a competition for the design adaptation of the former municipal baths building for the purposes of the West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň and other institutions, and to proceed with the entire matter as transparently as possible. Over the following weeks, nearly 60 signatories were supported by both the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) and the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians Active in Construction (ČKAIT).

The Chairman of the Czech Chamber of Architects and former Prague Mayor Jan Kasl addressed his opinion to the Plzeň Regional Office, expressing support for the open letter and emphasizing the importance of architectural competitions and the role of ČKA as their guarantor. According to him, a well-conceived architectural competition represents the best way to achieve proposal quality. Competitions bring a whole range of conceptual approaches, thus allowing for the selection of a specific solution, resulting in high-quality realization.

"In the case of announcing an architectural competition instead of a commercial competition for the selection of a contractor with a project designer chosen based on the lowest price, it is demonstrably possible, thanks to an expert and independent jury and the anonymity of proposals, to achieve the optimal solution for the given assignment," noted the Chairman of ČKA. Besides proposal quality, the significant advantages of competitions according to Kasl include primarily the transparency of the selection and the participation of both professional and lay audiences.

However, the regional leadership decided to ignore these advantages and not to organize a competition. Instead, they entrusted the first phase of the project for the reconstruction of the cultural monument and significant building to a specific architect. Furthermore, they intend to proceed with the Design & Build method, in which the responsibility for preparing project documentation and its fulfillment is partially or entirely transferred to the construction contractor. This approach—like the lack of an architectural competition—has also been criticized by the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians Active in Construction.

As its Chairman Robert Špalek pointed out, the Design & Build method is more often applied to transport and linear constructions, where user and technical parameters are clearly definable. "According to our experience, it is definitely not suitable for intentions that can have a whole range of possible technical, operational, and aesthetic solutions. Given that the resulting building will significantly affect the life of the city and operational costs may significantly impact the budgets of self-governments, it would be appropriate for all possible solutions to be thoroughly assessed by independent experts," stated Robert Špalek.

The engineering chamber also emphasizes the obligation of the client to seek the best solutions not only from an architectural or structural standpoint but also optimized and economical in terms of investment, operational, and maintenance costs. "The costs associated with organizing a competition, aimed at finding the most suitable solution, form a fraction of the total budget of the construction project—the result, on the other hand, significantly surpasses the original concept, pushing and developing the initial idea," warns Libor Kubát, Chairman of the Commission for the Public Procurement Act of ČKAIT. In fact, in Plzeň and the Plzeň Region, competitions or competitive dialogues preceded many significant realizations.

Both professional chambers offer clients expert consultations and assistance with organizing competitions for design solutions.