Josef Kiszka has died

On Saturday, October 29, 2022, at noon, doc. Ing.arch. Josef Kiszka passed away in Havířov. He was the head of the Institute of Design at the Faculty of Architecture of the Brno University of Technology.

Doc. Ing.arch. Josef Kiszka, born in 1952 in Životicích, studied architecture at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Brno University of Technology (1970-76), and subsequently completed postgraduate studies in urbanism and spatial planning at the Faculty of Architecture VUT in Brno (1987-88). From 1976 to 1977, he worked at the Office of the Chief Architect in Ostrava. From 1977 to 1990, he worked at Stavoprojekt Ostrava and AT4 Havířov. In 1990, he founded the architectural studio ARKISS in Ostrava. In 1993, he obtained Czech authorization from the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA), in 2005 Polish authorization from the IARP, and in 2007 he obtained design authorization for Slovakia. In his practice, he successfully designed a number of residential buildings, civic amenities, and urban studies and plans. He participated in several significant domestic and international architectural competitions, where he received several awards, including the 2nd prize in the 2007 competition for a new building for the Faculty of Architecture VUT in Brno, and in 2016, he won the competition for the reconstruction and extension of the Adam Mickiewicz Literature Museum in Warsaw. For the interior of the "Café bar Belle-vue" in Havířov (collaboration with I. Whala, T. Rusín), he received the Grand Prix from the Association of Architects in 1994. Among his most notable realizations are the Gymnasium and Business Academy in Orlová (collaboration with B. Potysz), for which he received the Grand Prix from the Association of Architects in 1996. Other significant projects include the Centre Cinema in Havířov (2012, collaboration with B. Potysz, B. Firla), the Czech Republic Embassy in Luxembourg (2005, collaboration with B. Potysz), and the reconstruction of the interiors of the Theatre in Český Těšín (1998, collaboration with B. Potysz). In the category of reconstructions, he also received the Building of the Year award for the Moravian-Silesian Region in 2013. In 2018, he received the Jože Plečnik Award for his lifetime contribution to architecture and construction. In addition to his design practice, he was active in various other areas. Since its inception, he participated in the operation of the Czech Chamber of Architects, where he was a member of the board from 1993-2004. Since 1999, he had been the chairman of the Arcus Foundation. He taught at FAST, VŠB-TU Ostrava since 2006, where he was also a member of the doctoral study program advisory board in Urban Engineering from 2015 to 2018. In 2015, he was habilitated as an associate professor at the FA VUT and a year later became the head of the Institute of Design and subsequently the guarantor of the master's study program in Architecture and Urbanism. In his teaching activities, he focused mainly on studio work, supervising bachelor's, master's, and doctoral theses. He became a respected mentor and a significant role model for many students. His experience bridging between the Czech Republic and Poland was beneficial not only in teaching but also in several research projects, international workshops, and articles.

More information >