Liberec canceled the competition for the transport terminal

Liberec - Liberec has canceled the architectural competition for the design of the transport terminal, the construction of which is estimated to cost 150 million crowns. Instead, the city hall directly approached six architectural firms. Deputy Mayor Jan Korytář (Change for Liberec) said this to the Czech News Agency today. The city failed to convince the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) that the competition should not be considered irregular. This created a risk that no one would apply for the tender.

Although the city complied with most of the Chamber's objections, it did not reach an agreement on the prizes. According to the ČKA competition rules, the amount of the prizes for the first three awarded should represent one percent of the estimated price of the contract, which in the case of the terminal is 1.5 million crowns. Given the scope of the contract, the city was willing to allocate a maximum of 450,000 crowns.

Therefore, the city leadership has decided on another solution, which is the so-called parallel assignment to six selected architectural studios that are interested in developing the design. This will likely cost the city 480,000 crowns. "Each studio will receive 80,000 crowns if they deliver a proposal," Korytář stated.

According to him, the advantage of this type of assignment is that architects can continuously consult their designs with the city during the project. Proposals must be delivered by March 27, after which they will be evaluated by a seven-member committee consisting of four architects and three city representatives. "All proposals that the city receives will also be made available to the public, and the city plans to hold a public discussion on this project to ensure that the final appearance meets the needs of future users as much as possible," the deputy added.

The reconstruction of the bus station in Liberec has been discussed for several years. The platform area was modernized in the mid-90s, but there was no money left to build suitable facilities. Since then, passengers have been using a temporary structure made of construction units. The new terminal building with a parking garage for 220 to 300 cars should provide passengers and transport companies with adequate facilities and appropriate infrastructure. The city aims to have it built by 2019, with most of the costs covered by a European grant.