Architects and officials defend architectural competitions

Tomáš Hudeček (TOP 09)

Praha - The vast majority of contracts for architectural projects are currently awarded based on the lowest price through a competitive tender. According to the chairman of the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA), Josef Panna, this is unsustainable in the long term. The most economical and cleanest form of public procurement in the field of architecture and urbanism, according to him, is a design competition - an architectural competition. One of the few projects where Prague wants to use an architectural competition is the redevelopment of Štvanice Island.
"Štvanice will be a pilot project for architectural competitions in Prague," said Deputy Mayor Tomáš Hudeček (TOP 09) to ČTK today. The city wants to invest 450 to 650 million crowns in the transformation of the island. The competition will be in two rounds.
"The result of the first round will be the selection of representative samples; only the second round will be the actual competition for the winner," Hudeček stated, who wishes for more such architectural competitions.
Unlike a standard commercial tender, an architectural competition allows the client to choose a winner from dozens or hundreds of proposals, not only based on the costs of obtaining the project but also based on the actual investment costs, future operating costs, the practicality of the proposal, sustainability, or aesthetic quality.
"In architectural competitions, the most economically advantageous project can win, not the cheapest project. Moreover, contracts at 'undercut' prices usually mean poor-quality construction," Panna stated.
Currently, the ČKA is working with the Ministry for Regional Development (MMR) on amending the implementing regulation to the Public Procurement Act. Design competitions can be held already; however, the amendment will detail the rules for such a competition. According to Vlastimil Fidler from the MMR, the regulation could come into force from January next year. The ČKA hopes to see more architectural competitions announced as a result of the regulation.
In the past, design competitions were applied, for example, in the construction of the National Technical Library in Dejvice, the square in Frýdlant in Bohemia, or the library in Brno.