Basic information

Investors and architectural practice would get stuck in a groove without young architect competitions.

An important current topic is the search for an answer to the question what binds individuals together in the society. Individual desires are rich in diversity and always originally motivated. The same holds for young generation architects who are going to be picked up by private investors exactly for their conspicuousness. However, the opposite prevails in the case of public buildings where extreme carefulness and fear of anything new keep gripping our environment. No matter that adversity should not arise between the new and the old, but rather between high and low quality. Public topics should thus actually serve as examples of quality far more than the individual ones. That’s why a competition for young architects focusing on a public topic is of such importance for them as well as enlightened public investors.

For this year’s annual round of Young Architect Award, we have recommended the topic of Public Space in Historical Context. By the term “historical context”, we mean an environment with a remarkable cultural character. Since industrial heritage also forms an integral part of the cultural, architectural, and technological wealth of a country, competition designs may not always be concerned with completing historical cores of cities and may rather propose revitalisations or reconversions of industrial objects. Interventions with such a motivation may appear perhaps all too ordinary in the context of public service. It may therefore not be out of touch to point out that connection. It may also be a response to the flight of people from the shared urban environment into individual solitude.

At present, public space is undoubtedly an overused expression. Nevertheless, in the case of this competition, we actually perceive the broadness of the topic to be an advantage. It gives freedom to the submitted works and simultaneously provides a framework of the whole annual round offering an inventory of possible interpretations.

We are aware that it is not easy nowadays for young architects to start a professional career. At the same time, we know well just how necessary their vigorous energy is. The Young Architect Award competition offers young architects an opportunity to showcase their qualities, enabling the public to get acquainted with the extent of contemporary architectural creation. This makes us glad that we can participate in the competition as jury members. The fact is: architectural practice as well as investors would get stuck in a groove without such competitions for young architects.

We are looking forward to the submitted works and we wish to see a high-quality and convincing execution which will capture the public attention, because the public space is intended for the public.

Petr Lešek, jury member

The goal

of the architectural competition review is:

  • to get architecture students and young architects up to 33 years of age involved in the creation of high-quality public space
  • to connect competition topics with education at university faculties of architecture – to include the topics in the lectures and design studio assignments
  • to develop a positive relationship between architects and conservationists in the form of an open dialogue aiming to promote architects’ responsibility towards historical environment and conservation of cultural heritage
  • to conduct a dialogue with both expert and lay public on the project’s platform and to engage in this dialogue representatives of the academic community and students as well as architects, representatives of local authorities and conservationists

Topic

The central motive of the competition is the solution of public space in historical context taking into account the environment, zoning development, and conservation of cultural and industrial heritage (completion of historical settlements, new creative interventions).

Categories

  • Projects (including studies and school works)
  • Implementations
Projects are idea designs elaborated into a more detailed design form before the actual implementation.
Idea studies are made as an extracurricular activity, the authors may or may not be students.
School works are made as part of educational activities at school under a professional supervision of a design studio director.
Implementations are finished constructions.

Cooperating schools (auspices of):

Faculty of Architecture and Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Arts and Architecture of the Technical University in Liberec, Faculty of Architecture of the Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Horticulture of the Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Civil Engineering of the VŠB-Technical University in Ostrava, Faculty of Architecture of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava

The expert jury

is selected based on the recommendation by the Czech Chamber of Architects. The jury of the 4th annual round is comprised of:

  • Naďa Goryczková /Director-General, National Heritage Institute/
  • Jiří Suchomel /Vice-Dean, Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Technical University in Liberec/
  • Ladislav Kuba /Kuba, Pilař architekti/
  • Petr Lešek /PROJEKTIL ARCHITEKTI/
  • Vladimír Vašut /Under-construction architects/

Prizes

  • 1st Beton Brož Young Architect Award 2012 in the category of Projects at an amount of CZK 30,000 (thirty thousand Czech Crowns) + General Partner’s Award + material award: Artlantis Studio CAD software worth CZK 25,900 excl. VAT + ARCHITEKT magazine annual subscription
  • 2nd Young Architect Award 2012 in the category of Projects at an amount of CZK 20,000 (twenty thousand Czech crowns)
  • 3rd Young Architect Award 2012 in the category of Projects at an amount of CZK 10,000 (ten thousand Czech crowns)
  • 1st Beton Brož Young Architect Award 2012 in the category of Implementations at an amount of CZK 30,000 (thirty thousand Czech Crowns) + General Partner’s Award + ARCHITEKT magazine annual subscription
  • 2nd Young Architect Award 2012 in the category of Implementations at an amount of CZK 20,000 (twenty thousand Czech crowns)
  • 3rd Young Architect Award 2012 in the category of Implementations at an amount of CZK 10,000 (ten thousand Czech crowns)
  • Architekt Josef Hlávka Award in the category of Implementations at an amount of CZK 25,000 (twenty-five thousand Czech crowns)
  • CTU Rector‘s Award for a school work in the category of Projects at an amount of CZK 10,000 (ten thousand Czech crowns) + Casua Award: expert architectural internship at one of Equator European Architects design studios
  • Archiweb Award for a progessive and innovative approach to solution: a CZK 10,000 voucher for book purchases

Award details:

Casua Award: a 1-month long expert architecture internship at a selected design studio of the Europe-wide Equator European Architects network. We keep the students under expert observation on their internships and subsequently offer them work on interesting projects at our own design studio. In return, we expect an original, innovative approach from their part.

Archiweb Award: will be awarded to the work which is original, progessive, and exhibits an innovative approach towards the solution. Aside from a 10,000 CZK voucher redeemable for book purchases at Archiweb, the winner will be presented with considerable media space at the Archiweb.cz portal – an interview, a comprehensive presentation of the author: a series of his/her design, work, and implementation presentations etc.

Media impact

The project is supported with a strong media campaign in expert press as well as expert web portals. The winners will be granted space for a broader presentation of their work at the websites of our media partners.