<html>Working meeting of the Czech Chamber of Architects on architectural competitions</html>
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In the introduction, some basic information about the course of architectural competitions was provided. In most cases, the jury is appointed by the promoter; the Chamber suggests an independent part of the jury only if requested by the promoter (this averages only 17% of independent jury parts). There are very few competitions that have taken place in the Czech Republic in recent years; in 2008, only four project competitions were held, which were followed by a negotiation procedure without publication according to the Public Procurement Act. A total of 1,500 public contracts for construction work were announced in 2008, of which approximately one hundred could and ideally should have been awarded through an architectural competition.
DISCUSSING TOPICS:
Architectural Competitions
Architectural competitions have their disadvantages (free work for most participants, they particularly favor strong offices) and, of course, many advantages (objectivity of quality, better built environment, growth of quality in the profession, possibility of comparison). All present agreed that, from their perspective, the advantages of competitions outweigh the disadvantages, but the problem remains how to achieve that public contracting authorities perceive the advantages as well and to eliminate doubts about the quality and benefits.
Reluctance to Announce Competitions
This may stem from lack of information, i.e., a general unawareness of the advantages, or fear resulting from the poor experiences of others. The Chamber can intervene in this case by increasing efforts to provide information especially to public entities and urging authorized persons not to undermine trust in architectural competitions. Resistance to announcing competitions may also be caused by interest in the non-transparency of the selection process. The Chamber participates in a long-term legislative process aimed at changing legal regulations and supporting competitions. The goal is also to change societal attitudes.
What Prevents the Announcement of Architectural Competitions?
The approach of architects to contracts is problematic. Interested parties are willing to accept disadvantageous conditions to obtain the contract. Even among non-professionals, criticism of competitions from architects themselves is heard, negatively influencing potential promoters. Promoters are primarily interested in the financial aspect, including the costs of the competition itself, as well as costs related to the project, implementation, and operation of the building. Therefore, emphasis must be placed on the economy of construction.
EU Operational Programs
In the conditions of grant programs that have a large amount of financial resources, selection is only allowed based on the lowest price. Costs for architectural competitions cannot be drawn from EU funds. ACE (Architect’s Council of Europe) initiated a debate on this topic in the European Parliament, the Commission, and the directorates - the importance of quality criteria was recognized; however, remedying the situation will be a long-term process as the European Parliament has not yet officially acknowledged this criticism. The Chamber will evaluate what the rules are for obtaining EU grants in the Czech Republic and whether it is possible to interpret them to strengthen the position of architectural competitions in this area.
Simplification of Competition Rules - Shortening Deadlines
The most time-consuming aspect is the preparation of materials for architectural competitions (this is in the hands of the promoter); the minimum competition deadline for drafting proposals is six weeks according to the competition rules, the jury meets for several days and evaluates the proposals, after which a deadline for objections runs, and then the objections are addressed. The greatest room for shortening deadlines lies before and after the competition; shortening the competition deadline does not seem desirable.
Participation of Authorized Architects in Irregular Competitions
Authorized architects are required to know the Competition Rules of ČKA, therefore they must distinguish between regular and irregular competitions; in case of doubts, they can turn to the working group for competitions. The Chamber does not have information on all irregular competitions. In cases where an authorized person participates in an irregular competition, there must be a penalty, i.e., the amount of the fine should be proportional to the size of the contract. Revocation of authorization based on participation in an irregular competition is not possible under the current legal framework.
Nominations for Juries
Currently, we do not have the means to influence the composition of juries. Some participants in the meeting believe that the Chamber should take nominations into its own hands and nominate twice the number of jurors for each competition, recommending the promoter to appoint a juror from this recommended list. Others believe that for the promoter to identify with the jury's verdict, it is preferable for the jury to be composed of persons whom the promoter trusts, rather than those who have been appointed by external dictates. There was also a suggestion to introduce a so-called code of ethics, stating that authorized architects can only participate in juries twice a year.
Support for Promoters
Promoters need to be presented with a manual that guides them not only through the preparation and course of the competition but also through the post-competition situation, helping them to overcome obstacles and various pitfalls. The manual must be developed not only by the Chamber but also independently by a public entity, preferably the Office for the Protection of Competition. If a promoter decides to organize an architectural competition, they will immediately encounter a problem. The Chamber cannot recommend a firm that is capable of administering an architectural competition and the subsequent negotiation procedure without publication. There is a possibility of training firms by the Chamber or establishing a service organization that would handle competition administration, or both actions could take place simultaneously and independently. The working group for competitions will propose a procedure for training firms. Given the high responsibility of jurors, there should also be training for already trained jurors, and training for new jurors is a given. The Chamber should also focus on prevention. Public promoters announce their investment intentions well in advance; therefore, the Chamber will try to contact the Ministry of Finance to see if this information could be passed to us, then these promoters would be specifically approached with an offer to consult on the possibility of organizing an architectural competition.
The working meeting yielded proposals to improve the functioning of architectural competitions in the Czech Republic; however, it should be noted that opinions on how to address problematic areas vary, and there are not many proposals for how to resolve the situation. As it turned out, the topic of architectural competitions is a pressing issue, significant to architects, so the Chamber will focus more energy and activities specifically in this area.
Ludmila Cepáková, Markéta Pražanová
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