We have been nominated for the shortlist of the Czech Architecture Award!
It's in! We have a house full of possibilities, and you can come and enjoy them, so we have some great news to share with you. Telegraph has been nominated among 29 projects from across the country for the Czech Architecture Award. On 23 June 2022, the Czech Chamber of Architects announced the prestigious selection of works during the nomination evening of the 7th edition at the Wallenstein Garden in Prague, and the winner of the main prize will be announced in November at a gala evening.
What? Where? How? Why?
Have you never heard of the Czech Architecture Prize? Never mind, let us introduce it. It's a competitive showcase announced by the Czech Chamber of Architects. The main purpose is to promote the quality work of established and emerging architects to the public.
It focuses not only on the aesthetic aspect and technical quality, but mainly on the context of creation, social contribution and relationship to the environment. The prize seeks to cover as broad a spectrum as possible. The competition presents projects built in the Czech Republic in the last five years, with this year being the seventh edition.
The show is open to both individuals and offices. Then, after the entries close, a seven-member international jury nominates a shortlist and in a second round selects the finalists and the winner of the main prize. There are also partner awards and an award for outstanding achievement.
How is it this year?
This year's jury of architects and experts was chaired by Marialessandra Secchi (architect, urban planner and academic, Italy). The other members were Ueli Brauen (architect, Switzerland), Katalin Csillag (architect, Hungary), Patrick Koschuch (architect and urban planner, Netherlands), Pavol Mikolajčák (architect, Slovakia), Els Verbakel (architect and urban planner, Belgium) and Kathrin Volk (landscape architect, Germany).
The jury selected 29 shortlisted nominations from 201 entries.
Two thirds of the nominated projects were privately funded, one third publicly funded. Projects for housing or recreation are the most represented, but the selection also includes public buildings or two scenic overlooks in the countryside, a nature trail, a winery and a distillery and sports hall.
Five projects are located in Prague and the Zlín Region, four in the Liberec, South Bohemia and Pardubice Regions, and two in the Central Bohemia Region. One building each from Vysočina, Ústí nad Labem, Moravian-Silesian, South Moravian and Olomouc regions is in the selection.
As we have already mentioned, our Telegraph building by Ječmen Studio (Lukáš Blažek, Eva Blažková and Vojtěch Jemelka) is among them. It is the only nominated work from the Olomouc region.
We found ourselves in the company of some great realisations. All nominations can be found here. To name but a few from neighbouring regions, The Obelisk Winery by Aid team in the Lednice-Valtice area, Walk over the quarry in Horní Bečva by Henkai architects and the reconstruction of the Poklad House of Culture in Ostrava-Poruba by PLATFORMA ARCHITEKTI.
What next?
The nominated buildings are also a great tip for summer trips, whether you're craving culture, a walk in nature or a glass of something good. You can even see exhibitions of the nominated buildings in several towns between July and September - e.g. in Karlovy Vary, Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, Plasy or Slavonice etc.
It would certainly be nice if the award would go to the Olomouc Region again, especially after last year's victory of the reconstruction of the Helfštýn Castle Palace by Ateliér-r, but whoever wins from the nominations, just to be shortlisted is a great honour for us and for the architect.
By Tereza Holoubková, Telegraph Gallery
Photo: Kiva, BoysPlayNice, Alex shoots buildings
