The Czech Architecture Award was given to the reconstruction of the Helfštýn Castle palace

photo: BoysPlayNice

Prague – The Czech Architecture Prize was awarded today to Miroslav Pospíšil and Martin Karlík from the atelier-r office for the design of the reconstruction of the Helfštýn Castle Palace. In the final of this year's award, the jury selected from seven works. A total of 170 realizations completed in the last five years applied for the prize. The competition was organized for the sixth time by the Czech Chamber of Architects, and the winners received their awards at Forum Karlín.

Helfštýn Castle is one of the largest castles in the Czech Republic and is one of the most visited monuments in the Olomouc Region. The authors from the Olomouc atelier-r chose a concept that respects the historical object. They integrated contemporary architectural elements into the historic structure and connected the ground floor with the upper floors of the palace, which were previously inaccessible to the public. It is also evident which parts of the building are original and which are new.

According to the jury, the castle has become "a space for exploration and discovery, through non-trivial sequences of rooms, passages, viewpoints, open windows, and terraces, from which the landscape and surroundings can be observed and perceived" after reconstruction. The jury stated that the project expresses an autonomous sense of architecture as an artistic and creative activity that shapes space through construction. The second reason why the jurors unanimously agreed on the first prize was that the project represents and summarizes the wealth, quality of life, and civic sense of many high-quality architectural works nominated for this year's Czech Architecture Prize.

In addition to the winner, six other finalists received honorary awards. The jury was impressed by the reconstruction of the canteen of the 17th November College of Humanities at Charles University, designed by the Kuba & Pilař architects. The jurors noted that it was one of the best examples of building reuse in this year's competition. The Community Center in Židlochovice by the Jura et consortes office also became a finalist. Another finalist is the Lazy House Zlín, which was created based on the design of architect Petr Janda, who was awarded last year. In the past, authors from Atelier bod architects have also been awarded in this competition; their design for the Modřice Town Hall was among the finalists this year, and they won another domestic architectural award, the Grand Prix of Architects, last year. This year’s winners of this award will be announced on Tuesday by the organizing Municipality of Architects.

The Papundekl Architekti office was also nominated for the Czech Architecture Prize for the Pavilion at the Prague Exhibition Grounds. The pavilion with refreshments is part of the newly restored pathway leading to Stromovka Park and caught the jury's attention with its simplicity and functionality. The jury was also captivated by the renovation of Kostnické Square in Prague's Žižkov, designed by Radmila Fingerová and Hana Špalková. For the jurors, it represents a sensitive transformation and renovation of public space.

The Czech Chamber of Architects Academy also recognizes exceptional activities in the field of architecture. Today, architect Alice Šimečková received it for her care for her colleague Růžena Žertová.