The construction of the Liberec Region is a new Town Hall in Semily

Liberec - The renovation of the former Vista factory building in Semily for the needs of the local municipal office won this year's Construction of the Year of the Liberec Region award. The authors of the transformation of the former mill and later textile factory into a modern office are architects Filip Horatschke and Jan Duda. The jury awarded the best construction solution to the reconstruction of the railway bridge in Rychnov near Jablonec nad Nisou. The Liberec Tipsport Arena received the award from Governor Petr Skokan for its regional significance.
    "I am glad that the renovation of the Semily town hall received the award, as it was also my favorite," said Karel Dolejší, the deputy governor, immediately after the announcement of the results to ČTK, who was also a member of the jury. He admitted that some projects by both winning architects sometimes seem somewhat eccentric to him. "This time, however, they completely hit my taste," he stated. Semily completed the renovation last year, creating a modern office in the historic building, which is also praised by experts.
    In fact, this year's competition, which took place for the second time, was marked by renovations and reconstructions. A total of 12 buildings were registered. The largest was the Liberec Tipsport Arena, while the smallest candidate was a wooden footbridge over the Nisa River, also designed by Filip Horatschke. An honorable mention was also awarded to the reconstruction of the Glass and Costume Jewelry Museum in Jablonec nad Nisou, which has become one of the city's landmarks.
    The first edition, held a year ago, evaluated buildings from a five-year period. The winner was the renovation of the cafeteria of the Technical University in Liberec, and the Rádlo footbridge received praise for its original design. However, in the second edition, only buildings certified from January 1, 2004, to June 30 of last year could be nominated. According to Dolejší, the aim of the competition was not only to compare the work of construction companies and designers in the region but also to present it to investors.