The Peter Parler Award 2008 - a tribute to the quiet space

This time, unlike previous years, the evaluation board of the architectural competition for the Peter Parléř Award, led by Prof. Ing. Arch. Miroslav Masák, unanimously decided that the highest award of 200,000 CZK will be given to the study by Ing. Arch. Martin Rosa and Ing. Arch. Jan Kratochvíl, which addresses the rehabilitation of the urban cemetery in the town of Vítkov. It appreciated the overall solution of the space, which emphasizes the memory of this historically significant site in the Sudetes while preserving its charm. With its decision, the evaluation board of the competition draws public attention to spaces of silence, places of refuge and encounters that have represented essential and supportive points for centuries, where ancestors rest and where the memory of the entire community is created.

The Hochtief CZ Award - Space for Life was awarded to the team of Acad. Arch. Michal Šrámek, Jan Proksa, and Lucie Vencelidis for their study of a new center for the municipality of Svatobořice-Mistřín. The authors creatively tackled a relatively challenging topic, as Svatobořice-Mistřín is a restored "double residence" that currently lacks a natural core. The design correctly defines a richer structure with the scale of a village rather than a classic square, which has the potential to serve and be lively throughout the year. The green area solution in the form of a vineyard has compositional and symbolic significance. The award is supported by a sum of 50,000 CZK.

The SSŽ Award - for contribution to the development of architecture worth 50,000 CZK was awarded to Ing. Arch. Zbyněk Ryška for the proposal for the revitalization and completion of the former Ursuline monastery in the town of Jeseník, whose central element is the building of a new library conceived as a paradise courtyard surrounded by an arcade and inserted into the already existing courtyard. The atmosphere plays a crucial role in the site’s concept. As the author of the study notes, "it is a place behind a wall, a place entered through gates and passages, a place hidden in the bowels of the city."

In total, 15 architectural studies were submitted on 11 announced topics. The jury accepted 13 studies that focused on the assignments sent to the competition by the towns of Hořovice, Cheb, Jeseník, Semily, Svatobořice-Mistřín, Třeboň, and Vítkov. No studies were received from the towns of Čerčany, Hlučín, Loket, and Opava. A total of 31 architects participated in the competition. The jury comprised: Ing. Arch. Pavel Hnilička, Ing. Arch. Ivan Hnízdil, Ing. Arch. Tomáš Hradečný, Ing. Arch. MgA. Alena Hýblová, Ing. Arch. Milan Korner, Acad. Arch. Petr Kovář, Prof. Ing. Arch. Miroslav Masák, Ing. Arch. Jan Sedlák, and Ing. Arch. Jaroslav Wertig.

The awards will be presented at a ceremonial event in January 2009.

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