Architectural Education - Jakub Kynčl

Ing. arch. Jakub Kynčl (1971)
Studied at the Faculty of Architecture, VUT in Brno. From 1997 to 2000, he served as the Vice-Dean for Foreign Relations there. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Brno faculty. In 2001, he founded the office KNESL + KYNČL ARCHITEKTI.

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Two Architectures in One School: Duplication Across the Czech Republic

Jakub Kynčl: I think that the transformation of civil engineering is not entirely problem-free. Just due to the fact that both in Brno and in Prague, there are two organizational units at the same university that practically teach the same thing and issue practically the same diploma.

Jakub Kynčl: The reason why programs in architecture arose at construction faculties is very simple. After 1990, construction faculties that were designed for a large number of students saw a decrease in enrollment but still needed to maintain their buildings. That is one reason. Second, when we look at who teaches at the various schools, we see that there can be no talk of any duplication since these are the same people. Those who teach at the Faculty of Architecture in Brno also teach architecture at the Faculty of Civil Engineering with an almost identical study program.

How Many Architectural Schools Do We Need?

Jakub Kynčl: In the introductory lecture, I intuitively felt the question of how the ideal architecture school should look. And just like Professor Přikryl, I believe we won't be able to answer this question, because such a thing does not exist. Everyone is somewhat differently predisposed; everyone can find their own path if they want. The same goes for schools. Provided that different people teach there, not always the same ones.

As the Teacher, So the Student?

Jakub Kynčl: Thank you for this remark, as it also reflects Czech society - architecture is simply a reflection of society in every respect. That is the first thing. If Yvette talks about the concept, I would prefer to talk about abstraction, critical thinking, about the necessity of teaching how to think, and that is actually the mission of a university. It has already been mentioned: what the school teaches is not so important, but it must teach students to think, so they reach the essence by themselves because without self-study, it is not possible.

The Educator and the System

Jakub Kynčl: In my opinion, the problem is not that new people cannot come in, but rather that there is no interest on their part. How often is a position advertised in Brno, and no one applies. The situation is that a third of the permanent teaching staff consists of perpetual assistants who have been assistants for perhaps 30 years. This is related to what Professor Sedláček mentioned, namely, that there is no emphasis on professional growth; there are no strict rules stating that after five years, everyone must show what they have achieved, and if they do not progress a level higher, they end.

The Future

Jakub Kynčl: I hope that society will move somewhere, along with architecture, and then perhaps education too, because the sequence of things is such, not the other way around.