The Young Architect Award 2011 competition knows its winners

Ida Čapounová, Jan Trejbal, Jakub Chuchlík: Měchnov - Czech countryside

Prague - In the domestic competition for young architects, which this year featured 128 projects from creators across 14 countries, three graduates from Czech universities and one Slovenian architect took the top four places. The expert jury appreciated their works and projects, in which they cleverly connected public space with the existing urban development and natural elements.
    The title of Young Architect Award 2011 was awarded to Ida Čapounová, who proposed urban solutions for the Czech countryside, specifically for Měchnov in the Benešov region. Another awarded architect, Jakub Jílek, focused on the Vltava River in the Czech metropolis, while architects Pavlína Macháčková and Klára Makovcová from the studio MMM Architekti developed a project related to an agricultural school. The only foreign author in the winning quartet is Slovenian architect Polonca Kastelicová, who designed the revitalization of the main square in one of the Slovenian municipalities.
    The organizers of the competition this year focused on the issue of contemporary urbanization. For the first time in the history of the competition, participants had to adhere to a specific theme. In their projects, studios devised proposals for connecting public space, urban development, natural features, and new buildings. "The city is somewhat like a theater; it creates the backdrop in which the plot unfolds. The houses and the space between them should create a stage that allows for a good life in this area," stated one of the jury members, architect Jakub Cigler, regarding the theme.
   Various studios from Mexico, Spain, Turkey, and France submitted their proposals, and in addition to the works of graduates from domestic universities, only projects from Belgian and Slovenian architects advanced to the final twenty-seven.