Recognized architects will receive 540,000 from Ostrava

Kazuyo Sejima and Ruye Nishizawa will not participate in the Ostrava competition.

Ostrava - At least five foreign architectural firms have confirmed their participation in the urban competition for the development of Ostrava's Černá louka. These architectural studios have already confirmed their participation to the city. The firms that the city is interested in have been promised a reward of 540,000 crowns. Mayor Petr Kajnar (ČSSD) told reporters today. The transformation of Černá louka is a key project with which Ostrava is competing for the title of European Capital of Culture 2015 (EHMK 2015).
    Among the confirmed interest are two Dutch offices and studios from Denmark, Great Britain, and France. When announcing the competition, the city had initially identified five offices, of which two eventually confirmed their interest, while the city additionally contacted three others. Among the competition participants is, for example, the Danish Bjarke Ingels Group - the author of the Danish pavilion for the upcoming EXPO in Shanghai and the British Foreign Office Architects, which designed the port terminal in Yokohama, one of the symbols of Japan during the 2002 FIFA World Cup. These offices were part of the initial five contacted by the city.
    "The competition is a combined one. This means that we have invited some foreign architectural offices, and the competition is also open to anyone who picks up the conditions and registers. The response from foreign offices ensures the quality of the competition in our opinion," stated Deputy Mayor Lukáš Ženatý (ODS). By Wednesday, 106 interested applicants had registered for the competition, thereby gaining the opportunity to collect the documentation.
    Ostrava's city councilors also approved the establishment of a new city company - Černá louka 2015 Ltd. for EHMK 2015. Through this company, the city wants to finance the completion of its application. According to Ženatý, financing the preparations, in which the city plans to invest 40 million crowns this year, will be faster and more efficient, as many projects previously had to be decided by the city council or the assembly.
    The newly created company will operate until September of this year, when the winner should be definitively decided. If Ostrava is unsuccessful, the company will be dissolved; if it wins, this company will be replaced by a public utility company as required by the competition conditions.
    Alongside Ostrava, Plzeň is also competing in the second round for the title of European Capital of Culture 2015. The winner for the Czech Republic will be announced in September.