The Czech Architecture Prize was awarded to the administrative building in Strančice

The Czech Architecture Award is organized by the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA). According to its jury, the winning project is an extraordinary and thought-provoking initiative; there are reportedly only a few buildings across Europe that have been constructed from this material. The building features a sloped roof for parking cars, with obvious structural limitations, which gives it an almost sculptural impression, and was cast on site from lightweight concrete, with approximately one-meter-thick walls, without any additional cladding, modifications, or finishing work, and without any insulation. According to the author of the building, it is an experiment with the clients' consent, and the jurors describe it as pioneering and modern, yet modest, especially regarding the material used.

In the final of the third year of the award, the jury selected from eight constructions. The honorable mention as a finalist went to the project of the revitalization of the Loučná River embankment in Litomyšl, one of two projects by public investors among the finalists and the only example of public space and landscape solutions. The embankment, where an urban promenade under the trees and a sculpturally designed playground with musical motifs were created, was modified by architects Rusina Frei and Atelier Partero.

The second public investor among the awarded constructions is the municipality of Dolní Břežany, which had a sports hall built by the Sporadical studio, which also serves the public. The Association of Architects has also awarded it and granted it its Grand Prix.

Among the best constructions awarded today, the jury included the Brno multipurpose building Dorn, the largest building with a suspended brick façade in the Czech Republic, designed by Atelier RAW. The façade made of exposed bricks connects with the neighboring historical Vaňkov Machine Factory. The slender body of the building is not just a formal composition; it allows for spacious offices with ample daylight and natural ventilation for each worker.

Architect Roman Koucký and the team from the Prague office of the Metropolitan Plan received the award for exceptional achievement for searching for a new direction in urban planning, and the Center for Architecture and Urban Planning was recognized for its innovative approach in promoting architecture. The winning projects will also be showcased in exhibitions, starting on Wednesday at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery in Prague.

The ČKA did not want to define itself in relation to the established award when founding the prize, but the Association of Architects faced criticism for several years, particularly from young architects. According to them, the prestige of its activities, including the Grand Prix competition, was declining. In the first year of the new competition conceived by the ČKA as an award for works from the past five years, 500 projects were submitted, while the Association of Architects documented fifty participants in the same year. However, this year, the ČKA competition saw 145 registered works, and the Association of Architects stated that more than 160 studios submitted over 200 works for its 25th anniversary competition.