Finalists of the Architect of the Year Award 2023

In the 15th year of the Architect of the Year 2023 competition, the expert jury selected five finalists. These are architects who have significantly contributed to architecture in the Czech Republic over the past five years, either through outstanding creations or by supporting quality architecture and the profession. The awarding of the laureate and the ceremonial announcement of the competition results will take place on September 12, 2023, at 7:30 PM at the Center for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP) in Prague. The event will also include the awarding of the Architect to the Community 2023 prize, an award intended for an architect and the community, a tandem that has long collaborated to strive for good architecture and improve the quality of life for the community's residents.
The annual professional award Architect of the Year highlights the significance and importance of architecture for our lives and the cultural development of society, as well as the exceptional role of architects, who fundamentally influence the level of construction through their activities. Since its inception, the award has sought to establish itself as a means to spread awareness and promote emerging quality architecture. Therefore, the Architect of the Year award is not an accolade for a lifetime achievement, nor should it commemorate life anniversaries. Its aim is to recognize a significant achievement in the field of architecture from the past five years. “The award is primarily intended for practicing architects, but not exclusively so. Anyone who strives for a pleasant living space through their actions can become a laureate,” says Zdeněk Fránek, the laureate of the 2020 award and a current juror. He decided on this year's ten nominations for the award together with the winners of previous editions of the competition – architects Petr Stolín, Stanislav Fiala, Petr Hájek, and last year’s laureates Ladislav Kuba and Tomáš Pilař.
The jury members seriously considered the individual names. In the end, five nominations advanced to the finals. “In evaluating the personalities, we looked at their comprehensive approach to creation and their professional and moral integrity. We also consider it important what overall influence they have on the development of society and the quality of the environment in which we live. How they engage and collaborate with other experts and organizations,” explains architect Ladislav Kuba, a jury member.

Finalists – Architect of the Year 2023
prof. Mgr. akad. arch. Roman Brychta (*1967) Studied at the Faculty of Architecture CTU in Prague, where he actively experienced the “Velvet Revolution,” and the only thing that kept him at the faculty afterwards was studying under Martin Roubík. In 1991, he was admitted to the School of Architecture of Emil Přikryl at the AVU, which he graduated from in 1995. During his alternative civil military service, he underwent “postgraduate studies in architecture” at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery in Prague. Until 2002, he collaborated with architect Václav Králíček. In 2002, he founded the company Projektil architects with colleagues. Since 2011, he has been leading the Architecture 4 studio at the AAAD in Prague, where he was appointed professor in 2021. In 2020, he established his own studio Roman Brychta Architects. He holds both domestic and international awards, e.g., for the Eco-Activity Center Sluňákov (2007), the National Technical Library (2009), and the Regional Headquarters of ČSOB in Hradec Králové (2021), among others.

Reasoning of the jury: Roman Brychta has long been a prominent figure in the Czech architectural scene. Much of his professional career has been spent as a protagonist of the projektil studio, which became known to the public primarily through the building of the National Technical Library or the unique conversion project of the church into a gallery of baroque sculptures in Chrudim. Since 2020, he has been leading his own studio Roman Brychta architekti, where he continues his philosophy of maintaining an understanding of new innovative technologies and intensively exploring the context of things, which he also enriches in his personal approach with deep empathy and humanity. His long-term pedagogical activity is characterized by a masterful approach, passing on his personal experiences that clearly stand behind him. He is thus a good guide for the young generation of future architects.

Ing. arch. Markéta Cajthamlová (*1959) Graduated from the Faculty of Architecture CTU in Prague and continued with doctoral studies at the School of Architecture AVU. She gained practice at Studio Shape, D.A. Studio, and at Perkins & Cheung Architects LTD in Vancouver. In 1991, she founded her own architectural office with architect Lev Lauermann, which she ran alone after his death in 1999. She worked in the academic environment as an assistant in the studio of Ladislav Lábus at the FA CTU in Prague and as a member of the Scientific-Art Council of the faculty; she has won several awards. Among her most famous works are numerous timeless family houses, such as in Říčany (1999), in Černošice (2000), in Konárovice (2005), a wellness cottage in Chotětín (2017), a family house in Prague 6 (2018), the reconstruction of a baroque family house in Třeboň (2019), or a cottage in the Jizera Mountains (2022).

Reasoning of the jury: Markéta Cajthamlová has been among the most prominent Czech architects for three decades. She is mainly known as the author of numerous beautiful family houses and villas, whether lavish or more modest; she has also designed multifunctional buildings and apartment houses. Her signature is characterized by a sense of material, particularly wood, and a meticulousness in bringing a building to its last detail. The houses are practical, user-friendly, with good proportions of interior spaces. Her architecture is unpretentious and timeless. It always emerges from a delicate dialogue between the house, the place, and the client.

Ing. arch. Marek Chalupa (*1968) Studied at the Faculty of Architecture CTU in Prague (1986–1992). From 1993 to 1995, he worked as an architect at A.D.N.S. architects, and then from 1995 to 2006, he was a partner at the dum architects studio. Since 2006, he has been leading the Chalupa architects studio with his brother Štěpán. Marek Chalupa has been among the top in the field for more than a quarter of a century. He gained recognition primarily with the winning design of the Czech Pavilion at EXPO 2000 in Hannover. Other successful realizations include the vestibule of the Kolbenova metro station in Prague (2001), the reconstruction of the Grapevine pavilion Gröbovka in Prague (2004), the Metropol hotel in Prague (2007), and the new headquarters of ČSOB in Radlice, Prague (2019). His buildings have been repeatedly nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award and other awards. He also works as a teacher at the FA CTU in Prague.

Reasoning of the jury: Marek Chalupa, along with his brother Štěpán, has designed a number of buildings characterized by a clear concept and meticulous detail work. Among the most notable buildings are the Czech Republic Pavilion at Expo 2000, the vestibule of the Kolbenova metro station, and especially the Metropol hotel on Národní street, which cannot be overlooked due to its hi-tech body made entirely of a glass technological façade. The hotel's open hall allows the pulsating city to penetrate literally into its interior. The extensive construction program of the ČSOB bank building in Radlice is distributed into a structure of smaller pavilions placed along the contour lines and embedded into the slope. The landscape permeates the courtyards and the atrium, its organic attributes are imprinted on the building. Strong visions and concepts of Marek Chalupa have been successful in architectural competitions, and he imparts his experience to students as a studio leader at the Faculty of Architecture CTU.

prof. Ing. arch. Roman Koucký (*1959) Studied at the Faculty of Architecture CTU (1980–1985). Until 1990, he worked in Atelier 7 of the Project Institute of the capital city of Prague. He spent two years as an assistant professor at the School of Architecture AVU in Prague with Emil Přikryl. In 1991, he founded his own architectural office, and a year later co-founded the publishing house Zlatý řez. He started working at the FA CTU in Prague in 1998, and from 2010 to 2012, he was the head of the Institute of Building Science; he has been lecturing and leading a studio here since 2006. He is the author of numerous professional articles and books on architecture and urbanism and holds dozens of awards. From 2012, he was the head of the Office of the Metropolitan Plan and subsequently the director of the City Planning Section at the Institute of Planning and Development of the capital city of Prague. He has independently or with his collaborators developed over 200 projects of various characteristics, of which about a quarter has been realized – for example, the Mariánský Bridge in Ústí nad Labem (1998), Dlouhý Bridge in České Budějovice (1998), the reconstruction of the Fárova house in Slavonice (1999), the Troja Bridge in Prague (2013), the Integrated Secondary Technical and Economic School in Sokolov (2012), and dozens of local and regulatory plans.

Reasoning of the jury: The work of Roman Koucký and his collaborator Šárka Malá covers an extraordinarily wide range of topics and scales from architectural detail to large urbanism. The realization of the Besídka and the Fárova house in Slavonice surprises with artistic details, in which new meanings and references to history can still be discovered. The square in Slavonice is a perfect precursor to the contemporary approach to this theme. Their major building projects of bridges in Ústí nad Labem, České Budějovice, and Prague are uncompromisingly consistent. The absolute urban visions of Roman Koucký are completely original and unparalleled not only in the Czech environment. The effort for the absolute necessarily entails the certainty of an unending struggle.

prof. Ing. arch. Ivan Kroupa (*1960) Graduated from the FA CTU in Prague (1980–1985), followed by practice in London, Paris, and Barcelona in 1989. He began independent practice in 1990. From 2002 to 2008, he served as the head of the studio at FA CTU in Prague, followed by leading a studio at the AAAD in Prague (2008–2022). In 2019, he received the Minister of Culture Award for his contribution to architecture, and he has been nominated multiple times for the Mies van der Rohe Award (2009, 2014) and the Berliner Kunstpreis, Förderungspreis Baukunst (2001). Among the most significant projects of his team are, for example, the Ceremony Hall in Týnec nad Sázavou (2022), the residential building RCP Karlín (2022), the technological building of the AAAD in Prague (2021), the B. Braun Hemodialysis Center in Prague at Bulovka (2015), the Karmášek printing house and gallery in České Budějovice (2015), and of course the DOX Center for Contemporary Art (2008).

Reasoning of the jury: Ivan Kroupa is a prominent name in contemporary Czech architecture. Each of his buildings is an icon of the highest architectural value, with a clearly readable handwriting, and uniquely spatial solutions go hand in hand with a precise selection of materials in their raw form. His guerrilla architectural work is about emotions, individual work on each assignment, and uncompromisingness; he says what he thinks, does what he must, creates minimally but expressively. Among Kroupa's masterpieces, one can mention, for example, the famous Karmášek printing house in České Budějovice, the DOX Gallery in Prague, or the building of the AAAD.

Nominations – Honorable Mention – Architect of the Year 2023
In addition to the laureate award, the jury will also present one honorable mention in September. Decisions will be made among the following nominated names: Jiří Zhoř, Karel Kuča, and Petr Kropp.

Architect to the Community 2023
An integral part of the Architect of the Year competition organized by ABF, a.s. is the Architect to the Community award given by the Ministry of Regional Development of the Czech Republic, the Union of Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic, the Czech Chamber of Architects, the Association for Urbanism and Spatial Planning of the Czech Republic, and the Modern Community magazine. The aim of the competition is to recognize the tandem architect – community and highlight the contribution of their collaboration to the creation of quality construction.

Ceremonial Announcement of Results – September 12, 2023
The ceremonial event with the presentation of awards to the laureates of the Architect of the Year 2023 and Architect to the Community 2023 will take place on September 12, 2023, at 7:30 PM at the Center for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP) in Prague.

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