The Grand Prix Architects 2007 was awarded to the ecological center Sluňákov

Prague - This year's Grand Prix of Architects goes to the Haná metropolis. The international jury awarded the main prize to the new building of the Center for Ecological Activities Olomouc - Sluňákov, designed by Roman Brychta, Adam Halíř, Ondřej Hofmeister, and Petr Lešek. Like other awarded projects, this building can be viewed in photographs starting Wednesday at the Prague Trade Fair Palace. This evening, the Association of Architects, together with the Czech Chamber of Architects, announced the winners of the competition.
    The building is constructed as a low-energy structure. It is planned to have an energy consumption of 27.6 kilowatt-hours per square meter per year, while the average in similar buildings exceeds four times that amount. The authors designed the object as an inhabited terrain wave smoothly integrated into the landscape. The southern facade is glazed, while the object is protected from the north by an earth mound - a green roof. On the sunny southern side, it offers a multi-functional hall with a capacity of up to 120 people, a dining room, a clubroom, and accommodation rooms for 42 people. The unlit part houses the facilities.
    The building, which also received the Award from Minister of Environment Martin Bursík for its significant ecological aspects, was constructed using traditional materials. Biomass and solar energy are used for heating. The building has a drinking water supply separate from utility water; rainwater is used for this purpose. Construction began in May 2005, and the total cost, including interior furnishings, was nearly 78 million crowns. Most of the investments were secured by the city of Olomouc, with approximately 36 million coming from a grant from the State Environmental Fund.
    The jury also praised other buildings; in the 14th edition, competition took place in seven categories. A total of ten prizes were awarded, and four works received honorable mentions. A total of 81 works were submitted, with the most represented categories being new buildings, renovations, and interiors. There were 18 submissions in the landscape architecture, urbanism, architectural design, and artistic work in architecture categories.
    In the new construction category, awards were also given to House in the Quarry by Pavel Mudřík and the Prague Shopping Center Šestka by Milan Jirovec's team. Honorable mentions were awarded to the authors of the building TJ Sokol Křížanovice, the check-in terminal at Brno-Tuřany Airport, and House on the Meadow in Semily.
    The award in the renovation category went to the repair of the railway station Ostrava-Svinov by Václav Filandr. Honorable mentions were awarded to the authors of the renovation of the Business Innovation Center in Zlín.
    In the interior category, the jury awarded a prize to a private apartment designed by Petr Vágner. In the landscape creation category, the prize went to the Castle Park in Ctěnice, Prague, by authors Tomáš Jiránek and David Prudík. The jury also praised the urban planning project for the city of Veltrusy, prepared by a team led by Roman Koucký. This is the first time the jury has awarded a prize for urbanism.
    Prizes were also awarded to the architects who prepared the exhibition in the Imperial Stable of Prague Castle for architectural design and small architecture. In the artistic work category, the jury awarded the Liberec Memorial to the Victims of Communism in the form of a mirror by authors led by Petr Janda. This year, the lifetime achievement award was given to Jaroslav Drápal.
    This year, prizes were also awarded by ministers, including, in addition to Bursík, Minister for Regional Development Jiří Čunek. He praised the family house built in Opava by David Wittássk and Jiří Řezák.
    The Grand Prix has sometimes been criticized for not including all buildings constructed in the past year in the Czech Republic in the competition. The competition statutes stated that architects must apply themselves. Starting this year, the conditions have changed; any person can nominate a building, and architects just need to agree to the nomination. This year's edition is also exceptional because the organization collaborated with the Association of Architects and the architectural chamber. The award has also somewhat changed its name; instead of the Grand Prix of the Association of Architects, it will now be called simply the Grand Prix of Architects.