Lecture: ERICK VAN EGERAAT - Architecture for European Cities

Dutch architect will come to conclude the exhibition of his international studio EEA “Designed by Erick van Egeraat”, which is currently on display at Galerie Jaroslava Fragnera, in the form of a lecture on his perspective on the architecture of European cities.

Prague is one of the most beautiful European cities. This beauty represents immense value for the city and, together with this value of Prague and all other cities with similar history, the dilemma of the present arises - the conflict between the effort to preserve the beauty of the city and at the same time modernize. For understandable reasons, there is an effort to preserve the stylistic beauty of the city, which is perceived as an attempt to maintain its value. However, the focus should be on the presentation of awareness and information about quality and beauty.

However, protection can also be too inflexible, it can prevent the city from suitable and appropriate development and become an obstacle to the birth of new beauty. Many Prague buildings completed over the past fifty years are not perceived as beautiful. Subsequently, there is the danger that second-rate quality could undermine the overall appearance of the city.

In his lecture titled “Architecture for European Cities,” Erick van Egeraat expresses the view that creating beauty requires real effort, that a dynamic and bold approach is necessary to add value to the admired architecture of the historic city center. An unburdened spirit with an outside perspective can have freer thinking and can be a stimulant for new design.

An example of dynamic development is Kazan, a city with a thousand-year tradition, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. Kazan boasts similar historical richness as Prague. Erick van Egeraat recently won an architectural competition for the construction of a new National Library of the Republic of Tatarstan. The project is a kind of cornerstone in government plans for the development and renewal of the city and simultaneously demonstrates how new projects can stimulate cities with a rich legacy of the past while also bringing new values.

The lecture will be in English, translation provided.

Free admission, no reservation required.

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> Exhibition (EEA) Erick van Egeraat associated architects at GJF